


Our Little Family

by SpencerRemyLvr



Category: Criminal Minds, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, M/M, Mpreg, Nice Rogue, Spencer's a mutant, badly written Cajun accent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-18
Updated: 2014-06-18
Packaged: 2018-02-05 05:28:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 79,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1807009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerRemyLvr/pseuds/SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Join Spencer and Remy as they embark on the road to parenthood. Spencer mpreg!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just to get this out of the way, as I've been yelled at by French speaking individuals, I know that allée chat does not actually mean alley cat. I put that in here simply because of a joke I share with a friend of mine when she was in French class in HS. I hope you can look past that and not be too bothered. Of all the things I do wrong with Remy's French, that one actually has a purpose, lol

There was no way it was true. Absolutely no way. Spencer sat on the edge of the exam table and stared at Dr. Hank McCoy, unable to fully process what it was he had been told. How was it possible? They had been so careful! “Are…are you sure? I mean, we…we’re careful, Hank. We’re always careful!” The words were just barely croaked out past the lump that was sitting in his throat. This couldn’t be happening, not right now! With the lives they lived, this was just too dangerous. It was horrible timing! Hank’s tests had to be wrong. They just had to.

Yet even as he had the thought, Spencer Reid stared at the man he called friend and knew that Hank’s tests weren’t wrong. The man would not be wrong about something like this. He knew more about this genetic problem than any other doctor that Spencer knew. It was why Spencer saw him for this ‘condition’. That, and the other doctors that treated those with a condition like Spencer had, they didn’t generally treat those that were also mutants. And in a medical setting, there was no denying that SSA Dr. Spencer Reid was a mutant.

It was there in his pure white eyes and the way that they glowed and flashed when he used his abilities. It was there in the way that his skin would start to glow when he gathered the electricity that he could call on, creating it from thin air, drawing it from things around him, manipulating it to do so many different things. The empathy was easier to hide, but he’d never been able to fully hide his eyes. The contacts he wore at work were a good fix for that environment—they wouldn’t pass inspection with a medical professional.

Spencer brought his hands up to wipe over his face. What had he done to have this curse in life? To not have one type of mutation, but another as well. He wasn’t just one kind of freak. Oh, no, not him. He had to hit freaky on every level possible! Not just a mutant, but he had to also be one of the random twelve percent of men in the United States that suffered from the genetic condition that gave them a woman’s reproductive organs on top of their own organs. One of the twelve percent of men in the world that could get _pregnant_. He had known about this condition for a long time now and he had always been up front with any male partner he’d had – including the man he was with now, the man he loved more than anyone in his life. The man he could finally see himself spending the rest of his life with. They knew this was a possibility and they had always been cautious, taking all the proper precautions so that this _wouldn’t_ happen. Yet here Spencer found himself, sitting on a table in Hank’s lab, his friend telling him that apparently they hadn’t been careful enough.

Reaching out, Hank rested a hand on Spencer’s shoulder in a soothing way. “I’m sorry, Spencer. I checked and double checked. Judging by your levels, I’d say you became pregnant sometime toward the end of June or beginning of July. As soon as we do the ultrasound, I’ll be able to better date this. Would you like to go ahead and do this now?”

Spencer licked his dry lips and nodded his head. “Please.”

In a surprisingly short time, Hank had him in one of his private rooms, the door locked and the ultrasound machine ready beside the bed. Spencer laid back on the bed, pants undone and pulled down while his shirt was pulled up so that Hank could run the sensor over his swollen stomach. God! He and Remy had both just assumed Spencer was finally putting on a little weight and muscle tone from the exercise program Remy had put him on. Tired of being so scrawny, Spencer had been letting Remy help him change his diet and workout routine. The man had got together with Morgan so that Spencer had someone to help him stay on track whether he was here or back home. How stupid they’d been!

He couldn’t take his eyes off the machine. Even knowing what he would see, knowing that the test had already confirmed his pregnancy, it was still a shock to see it brought to life on the screen. Yet apparently whatever Gods there were had decided that this wasn’t enough of a shock on its own. No, they had to throw him one final curve ball. Eyes going wide, Spencer stared at the monitor. “Shit!”

“Oh my word.” Hank breathed out. He turned to look at Spencer, a broad grin slipping over his face. “Congratulations, Spencer. You are officially seven weeks pregnant…with twins.”

The math was automatic. Mentally Spencer calculated backwards, trying to think of when they had conceived. What he came up with had him freezing even more. Then, all shock wiped away on temper. He remembered. The fourth of July party – Remy had come to see him and they’d gone out with the team. All of them had drank that night. And, at the end of it, they had been so wasted they’d caught a cab back to Spencer’s apartment. For the life of him, Spencer couldn’t remember if they’d used protection. Remy had tried to reassure him that they most likely had. Habit, he’d claimed. Now, Spencer knew for a fact they hadn’t. The math was perfect.

Abruptly he rolled away from Hank’s sensor, grabbing a tissue and wiping at the gel on his stomach. Furious, he threw the tissue into the garbage and did up his pants even as he moved toward the door. He had a Cajun to find and, when he did, he was going to kill him! Ignoring Hank’s calls, Spencer yanked his shirt down and took off from the lab to find his lover.

CXCX

It took no time at all for Spencer to seek out his lover’s mind and find where he was located. The link they shared through their empathy allowed him to easily find him while they were this close. With Hank still following somewhere behind him—he was a ways back since Spencer had reached the elevator first and Hank had then had to wait for it to come back down for him—Spencer marched out the back door of the mansion and into the backyard. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses when he saw his love at the water’s edge with Logan, Scott, Bobby and Kurt. What they were doing, Spencer didn’t know and didn’t care. He had only one thing in mind.

Clenching his hands to try and keep his temper in check, Spencer shouted out “Remy Etienne LeBeau!” He had the satisfaction of seeing his lover jump and spin around even as he was instinctively ducking his head down and bracing his body. The look on Remy’s face was wary despite the smile that spread at the sight of Spencer. “Cher! _Bonjour_!”

A snarl slipped out at the same time that Spencer called just a small bolt of lightning and let it snap into the ground in front of Remy’s feet. It was satisfying to watch Remy jump backwards in response. “Don’t you ‘Cher’ me, you Cajun menace!” Behind him, he heard Hank call his name. That wasn’t important. All he could focus on was Remy. When it looked like Bobby and Kurt were going to step between him and Remy, he held a hand out, the threat obvious. Remy stepped quickly forward while Logan and Scott pulled the two out of the way. Those two knew better than to step between one of Remy and Spencer’s fights. That was never a smart place to be.

“Now, cher, let’s talk about dis, yeah?” Remy held his hands out on either side in a gesture of peace, taking a few steps towards Spencer. “Whatever’s going on, I’m sure it aint all dat bad.”

“Not that bad?” Fury kicked up a notch. Right as he reached his lover, Spencer balled his hand into a fist and threw a punch that he knew Remy was fast enough to dodge. Sure enough, Remy moved, easily stepping around the punch. Quick as a flash he moved in, slipping his arms around Spencer’s waist to pull him close and hold him there. Spencer brought his hands to Remy’s shoulders to try and shove at him. “Let me go! Don’t you touch me right now!”

Remy just moved his hands up to cup Spencer’s face. His brows furrowed down as he read the emotions that were boiling inside of Spencer. “Spencer, cher, what is it? Talk to me, _mon cœur_. _Que va pas_?”

“What’s wrong? You want to ask me what’s wrong?” Spencer snapped at him. He tried to push him away again, but Remy stayed right there, holding his face in such a gentle way that it was threatening to break through Spencer’s temper. When Remy let go of his face to wrap those arms around him, pinning him against him, Spencer pushed at him, but Remy’s grip was tight. He held Spencer there not just with his arms, but with his love, using his empathy to wrap that around him as well. It was too much to stay furious underneath that. On a shuddered breath, Spencer stopped struggling, his arms slipping up to wrap around Remy’s neck as he hid his face in the curve of his neck and shoulder.

Now that Spencer wasn’t fighting him, Remy brought one hand to Spencer’s hair, cupping the back of his head. “Can feel how scared y’ are, Spencer. What’s going on? Y’r worrying me here. Talk to me. Tell me what it is and I’ll help y’, I will. Just tell me, cher.”

A tremble ran down Spencer’s body. He didn’t even lift his head to answer him. “Do you remember when you came to see me on the fourth of July?”

“ _Oui_.”

“We got so drunk together and we took a cab back home that night, remember?”

He felt Remy turn, kissing the side of his head, smiling against his hair. “ _Oui, cher_. We barely made it in de front door…” Remy’s words trailed off and his body tensed. For one long moment, Remy stayed frozen. Shock radiated from him. Spencer felt it and knew that Remy was realizing what Spencer was getting at and what it meant. After a minute, he finally spoke again. “Spencer, are y’ saying what I t’ink y’ are?”

Spencer squeezed his eyes shut, clinging even tighter. “I just got done talking with Hank. I’m not sick.” His voice cracked ever so slightly. "I'm seven weeks pregnant, Remy. With twins.”

“ _Dieu! Jumeaux?_ ” Remy’s shock was easy to hear. Then, to Spencer’s utter surprise, Remy’s shock was replaced with joy. His arms wrapped tight around Spencer’s waist and he spun him in a circle, letting out a jubilant laugh. When he set him back on his feet, he brought his hands up to frame his face, kissing him long and hard. By the time they broke apart, Spencer couldn’t help but smile back at him, feeling the infectious joy in his love. Remy stroked his thumbs over Spencer’s cheeks. “So dat’s why y’ve been feeling sick den? And why y’r so tired?”

“Most likely. He found nothing else wrong with me.”

Those problems had been the whole reason that Spencer was here. He’d been feeling sick for about a week now, always tired and unable to keep food down, and his boss—Aaron Hotchner—had finally had enough. He and Morgan had conspired against Spencer, filling out a time off request for him and getting him two weeks medical leave without him ever knowing they were doing it. Then they’d called Remy and explained to him that Spencer was sick and they couldn’t get him to take time off and they all knew better than to send Spencer to a regular doctor. He refused to see any doctor anymore but Hank. Remy had agreed to come get him and take him home and care for him. And he had. He’d shown up at Spencer’s apartment the next morning, explaining everything while packing his bags and, despite Spencer’s protests, he took him home with him right then.

Now that he let himself think about it, the diagnosis really did make sense. He was surprised he’d blinded himself so much so that he hadn’t seen it on his own.

“Ahem.” The sound of Hank clearing his throat drew their eyes away from one another and over to him. The man stood there, a bemused smile on his face, arms crossed over his chest. “If you two have had your moment, I must insist that you follow me back to the mansion, young Reid. We were not done discussing your care.”

Spencer felt his cheeks heat a little bit. “Sorry, Hank.” He apologized in embarrassment. Beside him, Remy laughed. He slid his arm around Spencer’s waist so that they stood side by side. Leaning in, he kissed the side of Spencer’s head. “Did y’ get so mad at po’ Remy dat y’ ran off on M. Bete, cher?”

“Not really you, so to speak. I was mad at the both of us but it was easier to take it out on you.”

That just made Remy laugh again. He was the first person in Spencer’s life that not only didn’t mind if Spencer got mad, but actually encouraged it. He hated when Spencer wouldn’t fight back with him. Remy had been known to tell people “Rather he take a swing at Remy dan ignore him. Can’t stand being ignored, me. What’s de point in covering up what y’ feel when y’r with an empath, _non_? Dey gonna know anyways. Might as well let it out.” And so, with Remy, Spencer had learned to let out what he felt instead of bottling it up inside.

Keeping Spencer tucked close, Remy grinned broadly. “ _Allons-y, alors_.”

Together, with a grinning Hank leading the way, the couple left behind their confused friends and headed into the mansion.

CXCX

Around an hour later, Spencer was slowly sinking down onto his and Remy’s bed in the boathouse, his mind spinning with all the new information he’d been given. He felt the dip in the bed as his lover sat down with him. Remy’s hands reached out, closing over his and simply holding on. He granted Spencer the respect of a few moments of simple silence so that he could gather himself. Eventually, he did speak, though. In a voice soft and slightly careful, Remy asked him “Spencer. I need to know if dis is something y’ want. I know dis wasn’t what we planned. Are y’ happy about it at all?”

The carefully worded question was enough to grab Spencer’s full attention. He turned his wide eyes to look at the man he loved. Did Remy think that he didn’t want these babies? That he didn’t want this pregnancy? “Oh, Remy.” The shock he’d settled in seemed to wash away on a wave of love. This time it was Spencer who leaned in and cupped Remy’s face, kissing him lovingly. “I’m sorry if I gave you the impression I don’t want these babies. Any child that we create together I will always look on as a blessing and a joy. Please, don’t think I’m not happy about them, Remy. I just…I’m scared, that’s all.” With anyone else he wouldn’t have been able to admit that. But there was no one else that he would have been in this position with.

Worry that Spencer just now noticed in Remy was draining away under Spencer’s words. The Cajun brought his hands up to rest over Spencer’s, turning his head to kiss Spencer’s palm. “ _Je t’aime, allée chat_.” He murmured. The nickname made Spencer smile, just as it always did. _Allée chat_ translated to ‘alley cat’. He joked that it suited Spencer better than calling him ‘kitten’. Still smiling, he shook his head “I love you too, street rat.” He teased.

“Let’s look at what M. Bete gave us.” Remy picked up the papers that he had set down on the bed when they came in and held them out, pushing back until he was reclined on the pillows against the headboard. After looking for a moment, Spencer bent and started to untie his shoes. He stifled a yawn. “I know most of the information in there, Rems. I don’t need to read it again.”

“Most, but not all, cher. I aint taking no risks with y’ on dis.”

“The whole thing is a risk, you know that.” After setting both his shoes down, Spencer stretched his body out on the bed, yawning again as he laid his head in Remy’s lap. Immediately the older man shifted the papers to one hand and brought the other down to stroke through Spencer’s hair. He sighed and set the papers down. “Know dat it’s a risk, me. Y’r gonna probably get sick of me being overprotective f’ de next little while, cher.”

Spencer chuckled and closed his eyes. “Probably. But I know you’ll be doing it out of love, so I think I’ll manage to cope. Most of the time.”

“Dat mean y’r not gonna argue with me when I make y’ take y’r vitamins and eat proper meals?”

Pausing, Spencer pretended to think about it. “The vitamins, no. The meals…will be dependent on what it is you’re trying to feed me and how I feel at the time.”

He could hear Remy’s softly smothered laugh. “Fair enough, cher.” He paused for a second and then asked, “What’re y’ gonna do?”

The question had Spencer’s eyes opening back up. There was no need to ask what it was Remy was referring to; he already knew. It was the same thing that Spencer had been thinking about in the back of his mind ever since he’d gotten the news. A topic he’d thought about plenty of times since he’d committed in a serious relationship and accepted the possibility that this could happen one day in his future. Because of all that, he already knew what his answer would be—knew there could be no other answer. “I’m going to quit.”

The ease with which he answered stunned Remy. His hand froze in mid stroke over Spencer’s hair. “ _Quoi_? Are y’ sure, Spencer?”

“It’s the most logical thing to do.” Spencer said the words as if they didn’t hurt. “You know what would happen if I told them that I needed time off. They’d ask me why and I’d be obligated to tell them. Then, they would find a way to fire me. If I go in prepared, I can probably manage to wrangle them into giving me early retirement. I’ve put in some good years at the Bureau and this way they could be able to ask me for consults occasionally, which I’d like.”

“Dey can’t fire y’ f’ dis, cher. Dat’s discrimination. I got good lawyers, me.”

That made Spencer chuckle slightly. He tipped his head enough to press a kiss to Remy’s jean clad thigh. “No, no lawyers. No fighting it. Yes, I’m going to miss the job. Yes, I’ll miss doing this. But at the same time, I’m getting so much in return. I won’t have to hide who I am anymore, Rem. I won’t have to wear special contacts to hide my eyes. I’ll be able to be with you full time like we both want and our children will be raised in a home with two parents. I love you, Remy. How can it be anything but wonderful to be able to be with you full time?”

A pleased little hum came from Remy that had Spencer smiling. Though his lover would never admit it, Spencer swore that sound was a purr. “Y’ know dat de X-Men could use y’ too. Even if it’s just working in de lab some with Henri. It won’t be like y’ won’t have t’ings to do round here.”

“I know. I wouldn’t agree to it, otherwise. I’m not very good at being useless, in case you haven’t realized.” Once again he let his eyes close, soothed by the stroke of Remy’s hands in his hair. “It’s better to take care of this now so that I can get settled in early on. I should probably head back sooner than we’d planned and get started on things. I need to tell the team and take care of work.”

Remy hummed agreeably. “What about y’r t’ings? Dis does mean y’r finally giving in to m’ begging and moving in with me, _pas vrai_?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. Remy had first asked him to move in with him six months ago, on their one year anniversary. “Yes, it does. I’ll start the process of boxing up things and prepping them to move while I’m there. And, don’t worry, I’ll get the team to help.” He tacked on before Remy could lodge any protests about him lifting things.

“ _D’accord._ I’ll get Logan to come help me move y’ come time. I imagine y’ aint gonna let Remy come with y’ tomorrow an help y’ with all dis?”

“No, I’m not going to let Remy come with me.” The teasing reply earned Spencer a yank on his hair that made him snicker. He didn’t even bother opening his eyes. “I can handle it, Remy. I’m early on yet. Each baby is roughly the length of two grains of rice right now.” Each baby. Those words struck a chord inside of Spencer that brought a soft little smile to his lips. Babies. He was going to have two babies. Little versions of him and Remy. He felt the first deep stirring of joy in his heart at that thought. “We’re going to have babies, Remy. Two little babies.”

“ _Oui, allée chat_.” Remy’s voice was thick. “Dat we are.”


	2. Chapter 2

Standing in his apartment, Spencer crossed his arms over his chest as he surveyed his living room. There was surprisingly little left that he wanted to take with him, now that he’d gone through everything. Furniture had already been sorted through and discussed via webcam with Remy so that they could decide what would go and what would be given away. In the end they’d taken his bookshelves, his recliner, and his desk and desk chair. The rest of the furniture Spencer had no qualms about giving away—none of it had been anything more to him than an object to use when he was home on cases, which wasn’t that often. Since getting together with Remy, he was home even less.

It was the personal items that would be the most and, even then, there wasn’t much that Spencer was going to take with him. Clothes, yes, though some of that was gone now. He’d gone ahead and sorted through them, donating some that he never wore anymore. Of course his books were coming with him. There was absolutely no question about that. Other than that, he only had two paintings that Remy demanded come with him, some random knickknacks that the team had given him over the years, and photos. Spencer was amused that Remy seemed to want him to bring more of his things than Spencer did. In his heart, Spencer knew it was Remy’s way of making sure that Spencer was going to be well settled in with him. He didn’t want his lover to feel like he was leaving his entire life behind and not taking anything with him.

What Remy didn’t understand was that Spencer was happy to make this move. Yes, it was hard in ways. Yes, leaving the Bureau had been extremely difficult. Part of Spencer’s heart had broken when he’d talked to Aaron and then with Strauss about leaving. As he’d predicted, the Bureau had been willing to do anything to get rid of him once they found out he suffered from the male pregnancy genetic condition. He could only imagine what they would have done if he’d told them about his mutation as well. They would have probably arrested him, then.

But the team had been beyond supportive. None of them had judged him for his condition, or for his decision. They’d thrown him a going away party at his apartment that had then turned into a giant packing party. Each one promised to visit whenever they could and Morgan made Spencer swear that he’d call when it got close to his due date so that “Uncle Derek” could come out and see his nieces or nephews. That had put a lump in Spencer’s throat that had taken away his voice. All he’d been able to do was accept the hug Morgan had given him.

Since Spencer had taken care of telling his team, Remy insisted that he would take care of telling _his_ team before Spencer came home. They would have to know; there was no way around that. And Remy knew that Spencer was beyond nervous about it. As rare as they were, men with this condition were not looked kindly upon in society. They were treated just as bad as mutants, if not worse sometimes. In the eyes of the world, a male pregnancy upset the natural order of things and was something some people seemed to think should be stamped out. When Spencer had voiced his fears during one of their recent web chats, suggesting that the other X-Men might not react well, Remy’s response had been typical him.  “So?” he’d snorted out at Spencer. “Who cares if dey don’t like it, cher? Seems pretty hypocritical to me f’ a mutant to judge someone f’ a genetic condition like dis. Don’t care if some of dem don’t like it. Dey’ll get over it or y’ and I will move into de city till _les bébés_ are born and den we’ll go our own way.” And that had been the end of it.

The whole process had taken longer than Spencer had planned, and definitely longer than Remy liked. His partner was not happy that Spencer had been gone from him for a little over two weeks now. In just two days, Spencer would be at ten weeks pregnant. He looked down at his stomach and couldn’t help but feel amazed at the small swell there. He knew that part of it was because he was carrying twins and part was that he had a naturally slender frame, but he was already showing. Not much, but it was definitely there. Hell, he’d already had to go get two new pairs of pants to wear out in public! With those new pants, no one could tell yet unless Spencer lifted his shirt up. Still, he couldn’t believe he already had to get new pants to wear. But he only let himself break down and get two! When no one was around, he simply wore his boxers or pajama pants in the apartment. Why worry about regular pants if no one was there to see him?

When he got back home—strange and wonderful how, in his mind, ‘home’ already meant Remy and the mansion and not this little apartment—Remy had sworn he was going to take Spencer shopping for maternity clothes. That was an argument Spencer knew he would never win, so he didn’t even bother trying.

Tomorrow was when Remy and Logan were coming to pick up him and his stuff. They’d shipped off the furniture already, so the only things that needed packed up were the boxes. For that, they could use Logan’s truck instead of having to rent a U-Haul or something like that. Everything that he had here would fit into the back of the truck just fine.

“Hey, pretty boy. You ready to jet?” Morgan’s voice interrupted Spencer’s musings. He lifted his head, looking to where one of his best friends in the whole world leaned against the wall, smiling indulgently at him.

Both last night and this night, Spencer was sleeping over at Morgan’s house. Since they’d gotten rid of his bed, the only place for Spencer to sleep would have been on the floor and Morgan had been horrified when he’d found that out. Without even asking, he’d ordered Spencer to grab his go-bag and get in the car because he was going with him. There was no arguing with Morgan when he was intent on something, especially when it came to those he considered family—and he wasn’t shy about claiming Spencer as his ‘little brother’ to anyone who asked—so Spencer had given in and let Morgan take him home.

Now that the last of the packing had been done and everything was ready to go, Spencer would go back to Morgan’s for one more night. Then he would meet Remy and Logan here tomorrow, as well as the rest of the team, and he’d say goodbye. The thought of it made his eyes burn a little with tears. Embarrassed, he turned away from Morgan, trying to discreetly bring a hand up to wipe at his traitorous eyes. “Yes, I’m ready. Just let me get my coat.”

Soft footsteps were his only warning. Then a hand was on his shoulder, turning him so that he found himself against Morgan’s chest, wrapped tight in arms that had always supported him. “It’s ok to be sad about leaving, kid. But you’re not going to lose us. You know that.” Morgan tipped Spencer’s face toward him and grinned. “You can’t get rid of us that easily.”

“Oh, I know, I just…” Trailing off, Spencer wiped at his face again, giving a small embarrassed chuckle. “Just hormones. I’ve never cried so easily before, yet I find myself doing it at the drop of a hat now. During the first few months after conception, the levels of hormones like estrogen and progesterone change dramatically, which has a significant effect on brain chemistry. Totally natural, yet frustrating nonetheless.”

The short ramble had the effect of making Morgan laugh. He brought his own hand up to wipe away the last of Spencer’s tears. “Leave it to you to be crying and still manage to teach me about _why_ you’re crying, kid. Lord, don’t ever change.”

After grabbing his coat, Spencer followed Morgan out, locking the door behind them. Then the two took off down the stairs. “So, what are you looking to eat tonight, pretty boy?” Morgan asked as he slung his arm over Spencer’s shoulders. “Your last night of eating whatever you want before lover boy gets here and you’re stuck on your healthy food diet.”

That had Spencer grimacing. “Don’t remind me.” He grumbled. “I’m not giving up everything. If they think they’re going to take away my favorite foods or such like that, they’ve got another thing coming. You do realize I’m going to probably have people trying to excessively feed me? I never gain when I eat and they’re going to nag me about it.”

“Oh, poor you. People trying to feed you all the time? Whatever will you do?”

Spencer shoved at Morgan’s arm, snorting out a laugh. “If it sounds so good to you than _you_ do it.”

“Oh man. Could you actually picture me being pregnant, kid?”

The image struck Spencer and he couldn’t help the laugh that came out. Thankfully they were by the car and Spencer could reach out, bracing his weight on the car as his laughter bubbled up from him. Somehow he dodged Morgan’s teasing smack while still laughing and made his way around to the passenger’s side of the car. By some means, without Spencer even realizing what was going on until after it happened, Morgan had done as he always did and taken Spencer’s mood and turned it around without even seeming to try. When they were seated and buckled, Spencer looked over at his friend and smiled at him. “Thanks, Morgan.”

Morgan flashed him a wide grin in return. “Anytime, kid. Anytime.”

CXCX

The sound of the Professor’s voice was just a low buzz in Remy’s ears as he kicked back in his chair and pretended to be listening to the meeting going on around him. In reality, all he could think of was one thing and one thing only. It was only the mask he’d perfected over the years that kept him from grinning widely at his own thoughts. But how was he supposed to have his mind on this weekly meeting that discussed the same boring things they discussed every week when, right before he’d come in here, he’d been web chatting with Spencer? All his brain could focus on was that man and the image of that just barely swollen stomach. It had taken almost thirty minutes, but Remy had finally managed to convince Spencer to stand up and lift up his shirt so that Remy could see.

Jesus, who would have guessed how adorable Spencer would look with that small swell to his stomach? Remy was beyond glad that he would finally be able to go fetch his lover and bring him back here, back home, where he belonged. This being apart for almost three weeks was too much. If it had been up to him, Remy would have been there with him this whole time. But Spencer had been adamant about doing this on his own. Over and over he’d insisted that he could take care of this just fine and that Remy had responsibilities to attend to here at the Mansion and that he would be there as soon as he could. It was all true…that didn’t mean that Remy had to like it.

“Now, to our final order of business.”

Those words drew Remy’s attention. He’d been listening with a half an ear, waiting for this moment. This was the whole reason for him to be here, in his mind. If it hadn’t been for this order of business, Remy would already be in the truck and on his way to Quantico to go pick his lover up. As it was, he had to wait to leave until this meeting was done, hence the reason for his bored impatience.

Remy watched the faces of those around him from behind his shades as Charles started his speech. The only person right now who knew what was going on aside from Charles was Logan and Logan only knew because he was one of the few that already knew of Spencer’s genetic condition, so it had been simple to tell him of the pregnancy. To Remy’s shock, Logan had offered to be the one to hash it out with Charles. He’d come back to Remy a few hours later and told him of the plan Charles had laid out. Now it was time to watch that plan in action.

“We’ve got a new student that will be arriving tomorrow evening.” Charles was telling the room. His voice and gaze were steady as he looked around at those at the table. This was a full staff meeting, so everyone was present. “I wanted to take the time at this meeting to discuss this mutant’s…unique qualities. I want there to be no problems here for him. As is, his condition is going to ostracize him from the rest of the world. I do not want him to meet that same fate here.”

Just barely Remy resisted snorting. He just dared anyone to try and make problems for Spencer. They had no idea what they’d be taking on. Remy would kick the ass of anyone who so much as looked cross at his man.

Charles continued with his planned speech. “Our newest resident is not simply unique because of his mutation. He is also unique because of another condition. He is one of the twelve percent of men in the United States that suffers from the genetic condition that enables a male to become pregnant.”

“You’re kidding?” Bobby exclaimed loudly. His outcry surprised those around the table. They all turned to look at him as he said “We’ve got an Mpreg coming here?” Mpreg was the slang term for a man who could become pregnant; Mpreg – male pregnancy. There was no denying the disgust in Bobby’s voice when he’d said it, though.

Hank turned to look at his friend, his face carefully controlled. “Yes, Robert. At the time of his arrival, he should be ten weeks pregnant. With twins, actually. I should sincerely hope that all of us will make his arrival comfortable. The last thing that he is going to need is any undue stress. Male pregnancies carry their own obvious risks and those risks are upped just as in any regular pregnancy when the number of babies increases.”

“But why is he coming here?” Bobby demanded.

This time it was Logan who leaned forward to look at Bobby. His expression was hard and his voice was almost a growl. “You got a problem with this, Icecube?” he snarled. It took immense control for Remy to keep from growling as well. Of all people, he had not though _Bobby_ would be a problem! Remy and Bobby were friends! But, friendship or no, Remy wasn’t going to let anyone cause Spencer trouble. Without realizing it, Remy started to twirl a card through his fingers. He hadn’t even realized he’d pulled one from his pocket.

Bobby was looking around him, wide eyed as he met each face at the table and saw no one leaping up to agree with him. “Are you kidding me?” He asked them incredulously. “You’re telling me that _none_ of you have a problem with this? Mpreg isn’t right! There’s something wrong with them. It’s not natural for a man to get pregnant!”

“Some people say the same thing about mutants. They say we’re not right and unnatural.” Scott interjected. His voice was almost flat, a surefire sign of his temper.

To Remy’s surprise, Warren took up the defense next. “It’s as much a mutation as what we suffer from, Bobby. Whoever he is, he didn’t ask for this, just as none of us asked for our mutations. Can we rightfully turn him and his children away? Wouldn’t that make us just as prejudiced as the people we fight against?”

“Well said.” Ororo clapped lightly at Warren’s words. “I could not have put it better myself. This man has as much right to sanctuary as the rest of us. I for one will not condemn him because his body is built different than ours. We should all welcome him here with open arms. He is a mutant, the same as we are, and he has a right to a place here.”

“He’s a freak!” Bobby said loudly. Beside him, Rogue reached out, putting a gloved hand on his arm to keep him in his seat.

At a different time, Remy might have thought about how strongly Bobby was opposing this and realized that there had to be something deeper there.  But in that moment he was too furious to think of anything but the fury that snapped in him. “Watch y’r mouth, Robert Drake!” He snapped out. Slapping his hands on the table, he stood up straight and glared at a man he had always called friend. “Remy hear y’ talk like dat bout de _homme_ again and he might f’get we’re _amis_.”

Off to his right, Remy heard Scott’s voice, a low curse that surprised him enough from the man that Remy had to turn to look at him. “Holy shit.” Scott said. A slow grin was curving his lips. “Are you kidding me? Really?”

Remy could see that Scott had figured it out. Nodding, Remy prepared to give the last bit of news to the room. “ _Oui_ , Scotty. It’s Spencer dat be pregnant. De twins are mine.”

That brought more of a reaction than the news that a pregnant male was coming to the mansion. All of a sudden Remy found himself surrounded at the table, his friends coming up on all sides of him to hug him and pat his back and congratulate him. It was more than he’d ever dreamed of getting! Jean hugged him first, whispering in his ear “Oh, Remy! Congratulations, sweetheart! This is so wonderful!” Then Kurt was there, shaking his hand and grinning like a loon, rambling his sentiments in a happy slur of German that Remy couldn’t pick out in all the noise.

Rogue jumped him next, hugging him tightly, making him smile. Things had been getting better for them since he and Spencer had got together. He and Rogue had finally found the friendship they were meant to have all along. “Congrats, Sugar! That’s just the greatest news ever!”

The hugs from Jubilee and Kitty were expected, as was the one that Betsy gave him. She made him laugh when she took his face and kissed each cheek. “You’re smart to bring him here where we can all take care of him.” She told him cheekily. “Us Psi’s have to stick together, you know.” And then when Ororo had walked over to him, her warm smile had been words enough. They only touched hands, but between them, it spoke more than any words. His little Stormy was happy for him, as he’d known she would be. Across the table, Remy looked over and saw Warren standing there, smiling slightly. Things between them weren’t as heated as they’d once been, but they weren’t exactly real friends. Yet Warren smiled at him when he saw Remy watching and gave him a quiet nod. From Warren, that meant a lot.

But out of all of them, the congratulations and approval that meant the most came from Scott. Their Leader made his way through them all, grinning at Remy the entire time. He walked right up to Remy and reached out to shake his hand. As soon as his and Remy’s hands touched, the older man yanked him in for a tight hug. “Congratulations. You’ll make one hell of a dad, Remy.”

A lump formed in Remy’s throat. As little as everyone else may have believed it, Scott’s approval meant quite a lot to Remy. This man was someone who, at times, could irritate him to no end or make him laugh until he fell down on the floor. He acted like a father figure and a fun brother all rolled in to one, treating Remy as if he was a young member of the family that needed looking after and guidance, something that Remy had complained about more than once. Yet, down inside, he could admit that there was no one here that he respected or looked up to more. Logan was like an older brother to him, yeah. He respected and looked up to that man as well. But at times Scott was almost like a step in for Jean-Luc, since his father couldn’t be there with him.

Clearing his throat, Remy hugged him back just as tightly. “ _Merci beaucoup_ , Scotty.”

“You realize I’m going to act like an honorary uncle, right? I’m claiming that privilege now.” He teased. Letting go of their hug, Scott reached up and gave Remy’s ponytail a tug. “So, when is Spencer getting here? And how did he convince you to let him out of your sight while he’s pregnant?”

“Actually, after dis meeting, Wolvie and Remy gonna take de truck and go get him and de last of his t’ings. Just wanted to take care of dis first, me. Don’t want him to have to worry bout telling people when he gets here.”

Scott nodded sagely. Then he gave Remy a sympathetic look. “Ten weeks, huh? Morning sickness?”

“ _Merde_.” Remy winced, making Scott laugh. “He don’t admit to it much over de webcam, but Morgan tells me dat it’s getting worse dan it was before.”

“Yeah, just wait. The first trimester is so much fun. With him here, you’ll get the full brunt of his mood swings. Tears, temper, all of it.”

“Sounds like home, yeah.” Remy winked at him.

While everyone laughed, Logan moved through the group, walking up to Remy. “You ready to go then, Gumbo? Drive’s about seven hours and I’d like to get there before midnight.”

Remy looked over at him and nodded. “ _Oui,_ Logan. Let’s go get m’ man and bring him back home.”

“Let’s go, Cajun.”


	3. Chapter 3

Curled up in his warm bed, Spencer shifted in his sleep, instinctively adjusting to try and get more comfortable. One hand reached out as he started to wake, automatically going to the spot that had been empty for the past few weeks, seeking out the one he wanted to be there more than anything. When his hand encountered skin, he sighed happily, sure he was still asleep. His hand brushed over that skin, feeling the bare stomach he knew so well, tracing over the long, thin scar that was down near the hipbone. His hand slid up, finding its typical resting place over Remy’s heart. He gave another happy sigh and snuggled in close to his dream-Remy.

The arm that came around him felt startlingly real. It pulled him in close, bringing him to his favorite position against Remy’s side, cuddled to him. A soft kiss was pressed to the crown of his head and a hand laid over his, pressing it against the steady thrum of his dream love’s heart. Smiling, Spencer nuzzled the skin at his face, drawing in the scent that was purely his Cajun’s. It was the scent that finally told him. That cinnamon and vanilla scent with just a hint of spice to it. Joy filled Spencer’s heart and he quickly tipped his head up, looking through the dark into the most beautiful pair of red on black eyes. “It’s really you.” He breathed out.

The smile that curved Remy’s lips had Spencer wanting to cry from happiness. “ _Oui, allée chat_. Aint no one else better be climbing in dis bed with y’ but Remy.” He drawled out. After being apart for weeks, only talking to him on the phone or through web chat, the sound of that Cajun drawl actually brought the tears—those blasted tears that came so easily anymore—flowing from his eyes. Tucking his head back down, Spencer clung tightly to him. “I thought I was dreaming you. I’ve dreamt you so much lately.”

Another kissed landed on the top of his head and Remy’s hold tightened ever so slightly. “ _Je t’aime,_ Spencer. What told y’ I was real?”

“Your scent.” Sniffling, Spencer smiled through his tears. “Even my dreams can’t perfectly recreate how wonderful you smell.”

That earned him the husky sound of Remy’s laughter. In a move well used, Remy rolled their bodies, angling his over top of Spencer’s, their faces ending up only inches apart. With one hand holding himself up, Remy used the other to wipe away Spencer’s tears. “Don’t cry, _mon amour_. Eyes as pretty as y’rs should never have tears in dem.”

Spencer’s smile grew and his tears still ran. “I missed you.” He whispered. Palms on Remy’s sides, he slid them up, tracing his muscles, feeling that skin that was like silk to touch.

“I t’ink I noticed dat.” Remy teased him. He bent his head down, stealing a gentle kiss. The hand that had been wiping at Spencer’s tears now reached down to tug on the edge of the shirt he was wearing. “I been wondering where dis went. Thought I lost it, me.”

Blush filled Spencer’s cheeks. Biting his lip, he looked down at the shirt. It was one of Remy’s that he’d ‘accidentally’ packed months ago when he’d gone for a visit. The shirt was one of the ones that Remy wore when he was doing work around the house, or painting, or anything like that. Too big for him, marked with paints and wood stain, it was a ratty old LSU t-shirt and Spencer absolutely loved it. “I was just…borrowing it.” His blush deepened at the smug look on Remy’s face. “Look, I just wanted something to, to make me feel a little closer to you when I had to go home. I didn’t think you’d miss just one shirt. It makes it a little, um, a little easier to sleep at night when you’re not with me.”

Remy bent his head to steal yet another kiss, cutting off Spencer’s babbled explanation. This time he didn’t pull back until Spencer was breathless. “Y’ aint gonna have to steal m’ shirts no more, cher. Gonna take y’ home with me where y’ belong. Y’ll fall asleep in m’ bed, in _our_ bed, every night and wake up dere every morning. On de nights I gotta go on a mission, y’r gonna be in our bed with our t’ings, knowing de whole time dat I’m doing everything I can to hurry on home to y’.”

He punctuated his statement with another kiss, the hand on Spencer’s shirt slipping down to the hem and then snaking underneath to trace over the top of his thigh, up to his stomach, running over the swell that was there. Just the feel of Remy’s hand was enough to have Spencer sighing into their kiss. When they broke apart, Remy traced kisses down Spencer’s jaw, murmuring to him all the while. “I’m gonna take care of y’, Spencer Reid. Y’ and de _petits_.” He nipped at the bottom of Spencer’s ear, sucking the lobe in before letting it go, all the while running his hand over Spencer’s stomach. “Can’t wait to watch y’r belly grow with our family, Spencer. To feel de life moving in dere. Y’r gonna be so _beau_ , cher.”

As that devil’s mouth moved to his neck, the hand on his belly slid south, wrapping around the semi hard flesh there and easily stroking it to life. Spencer’s hands gripped on Remy’s shoulders and his body trembled under the touch he’d been craving. He couldn’t stop his shudder when Remy whispered “Let me show y’ how much I missed y’, _mon cœur_.” Then Remy was sliding down his body and, before Spencer could say a word, Remy’s wet, warm mouth closed over him, drawing him in and making him moan. There were no more words as Remy took him higher and higher. Spencer didn’t even notice the hand that came up, pressing over his mouth to muffle the sounds he made. All he could focus on was the man between his legs and the pleasure that was filling him up until finally, oh dear God, the pleasure filled him completely and exploded out of him.

When he came back down he found himself wrapped in Remy’s arms once more, held against his side just like they’d started out as. Eyes barely open, exhausted from pleasure, Spencer nuzzled in. “What about you?” He managed to ask.

Remy lifted their joined hands and kissed Spencer’s knuckles before resting them over his heart again. “ _Mais_ , cher, I came when y’ did. Almost passed out like y’ too but managed to stay awake and get m’self cleaned up.”

“Mm.”

“Go to sleep, cher.” Came the teasing words. Oh so soft, Remy hummed lightly, the tune belonging to a Cajun lullaby. A smile on his lips, Spencer fell asleep pressed against the man he loved as the sweet music wove through his mind.

CXCX

Long, tearful goodbyes were not something that Spencer was good with. Add in his new predisposition to easy tears and the goodbyes became even harder. Everyone had shown up at his apartment to help load the boxes into the truck and to say their goodbyes. They loaded everything together and then sat in the empty apartment and shared a final pizza. Bless them all, they kept it lighthearted, telling stories that kept him smiling and laughing. But eventually it came time for them to pack it away. Spencer saw it in the look that Logan gave to Remy.

Remy shifted his weight against the wall he was leaning back on, moving just enough to catch Spencer’s chin with his thumb and finger, drawing his gaze to him. Before he could say anything, Spencer sighed. “I know.” He said quietly. “If we want to get there before dark, we need to go.”

“I’ll give y’ some privacy f’ dis, cher.” Remy told him. Then he leaned in and gave him a kiss. “Y’ take y’r time. Wolvie and Remy gonna go ahead and get de trash taken out and make sure everything’s ready to go.”

“Wolvie and I.” Spencer corrected absently as he and Remy rose from the ground.

Rolling his eyes, Remy tugged on a lock of Spencer’s hair. “ _Oui_ , dat’s what I meant, y’ _petit allée chat_.”

“Did he just call you little Alicia?” Emily asked. Her eyes were twinkling and a laugh was sitting on her lips.

That had Spencer both blushing and laughing at the same time. “No. He called me _allée chat_.”

“ _Non_ , I called y’ a _petit allée chat_ dis time. But I usually call him just _allée chat_. In French it means alley cat.” Remy explained. He grinned at Spencer and tugged on his hair again. Scowling, Spencer swatted his hand away. “An alley cat that managed to catch himself a street rat, somehow.” He fired back.

Remy brought a hand up and blew a kiss at Spencer. “ _Oui_ , but y’ can’t help but love m’, cher!”

“That is entirely beside the point.”

Laughing, Remy snagged Logan’s arm and led him out of the apartment, granting Spencer the privacy that he’d promised. That left Spencer staring at the team that he had worked with the past few years, trying to figure out how to say goodbye to a group of people that meant so much to him. He didn’t know what words to say or what to do. He should have known better than to worry about what to say. Garcia broke the awkward silence by simply stepping forward and wrapping her arms tightly around Spencer. “Oh, I’m gonna miss you, Reid!”

“I’ll miss you too, Garcia.”

“You better come back and visit once those babies are born. No traveling around until then, ok? We want you and them to be perfectly safe. But I can come see you, can’t I? Maybe take a weekend in New York and visit some with you!”

Her bubbling speech made him smile. “I’d like that a lot. I don’t want this to be a permanent goodbye.” His gazed turned toward the others, bringing them into the statement as well. “I don’t want this to mean that I lose you guys. You’re all…you’re all very important to me.”

“You won’t lose us, kiddo.” Moving forward, Dave took Garcia’s place, pulling Spencer in for a hug. Then he stepped back and took hold of his face, kissing each of his cheeks. “We’re family, Reid. You’ll see us again, more than you realize.”

Emily moved forward next. “He’s right. No matter how far apart family gets, they still stay family.” She told him as she took her hug. “Our family isn’t losing a member. It’s gaining more.” Her hand went down, touching the curve of his stomach. “You take care of these two and keep us updated. And send pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.” Impulsively she leaned in and hugged him again, whispering in his ear “I’m so happy for you, Reid. You and Remy are perfect together. I’m so very, very happy for you.”

That was enough to start his eyes watering. When Aaron stepped up to take Emily’s place, Spencer knew his battle with tears was going to be lost. This man who had stayed strong and steady in his life, acting as a father figure to him even when he had pushed away, staying solid for him even when Gideon left, was now smiling at him in a proud sort of way. He pulled a hankie from his pocket and stepped up, wiping some of the tears off of Spencer’s cheeks, chuckling at the embarrassed flush that filled those cheeks. “Don’t be embarrassed. I remember for the first few months, Hayley cried at the drop of a hat. If she wasn’t crying, she was laughing or yelling. You’ll start to even out soon enough.”

“I’ve never been a crier. Even if I get hurt, I’m not the type to cry.” Spencer grumbled.

“Well, you’ll get used to it now. It’s practice for when the kids get here. There will never be anyone in your life that’ll make you smile or cry more. And you’re going to love every minute of it.” Tucking his hankie away, Aaron pulled Spencer close for their hug. For a long moment Spencer just stood there, leaning against the strength of his ex-boss—his friend. “You’re going to make a wonderful dad, Reid. Congratulations. It’s about time you get to think about you and be happy.”

Once he released Spencer, Morgan stepped forward, wearing a wide grin. “All right, my turn.”  He said. Then, without warning, he bent forward, wrapped his arms around Spencer’s waist and lifted him in a big bear hug that had Spencer laughing out loud. He flung his arms around Morgan’s neck and squeezed back, still laughing. Leave it to Morgan. The man could always, always, make him laugh. When he put Spencer back on his feet, the young genius gave him a mock glare and deliberately straightened his shirt, which happened to be the same shirt he’d worn to bed. The rest of his clothes were packed away. Remy had tried to convince him to stay in his pajama pants if he was comfortable, but Spencer had shook his head and put on a comfortable pair of jeans.

“I’m not saying some big goodbye, kid.” Morgan told him cheerfully. “Cause this aint goodbye to me. I’m sure as hell coming out to visit. A lot. It’s just a few hours on the train to New York. At least once a month if I can manage it I’m coming out for a weekend or something. You’re not getting rid of me.”

“Well, damn.” Spencer teased impishly. He opened his mouth to say something else when a now familiar sensation started. His eyes went wide and his body froze as he tried to figure out if it was really going to happen, or if it was just taunting him. No, it was coming. Quick as a flash he raced down the hall and stumbled into the bathroom, just barely managing to make it to the toilet before the pizza he’d eaten made its reappearance.

He recognized Morgan’s hands pulling back his hair, gathering it into a ponytail for him. He knew better than to just stand there and hold Spencer’s hair. One, it could occasionally irritate Spencer. Two, sometimes this could take a little while and no one wanted to stand indefinitely and hold another person’s hair.

It didn’t take long before another person entered the bathroom. This one moved right up to Spencer and sat near him, perching on the edge of the tub. He felt Remy’s warm love wrap around him. When his stomach finally stopped rolling and he weakly sat down on the floor, Remy reached out and flushed the toilet while Morgan handed down a paper cup of water to Spencer. It was embarrassing to have an audience for this. But, embarrassment or not, he let himself lean against Remy’s legs while he sipped off the water.

When he felt steady enough to move again, he allowed Remy to help him up off the floor. Then he looked over to the sink and scowled when he realized that his toothbrush wasn’t there. Morgan had disappeared, but he came back in just then, Spencer’s go bag in hand. “Your toothbrush is in here, kid.”

“Thank you.” Spencer said gratefully.

After brushing his teeth, Spencer packed the toothbrush back up, Remy stealing his bag and carrying it for him, and the two headed out. No one commented on the sudden bout of nausea. As a group, everyone left the apartment, asking Remy about the drive ahead of him and when they thought they might get in. Spencer listened with only half an ear. He waited until everyone was out of the apartment before turning back to it, pulling the door shut and locking it one last time. After this, he wasn’t going to be coming back to this apartment. Oh, he’d come back to Virginia, he knew that. But he’d never come back to this apartment again. Leaving here was like closing a final chapter in his life. Absently he rested one hand on his stomach. One chapter may have been ending, but a whole new one was starting and it was one he was excited to write.

Remy’s hand settled comfortably against the small of his back, his thumb rubbing ever so slightly. Spencer smiled. He was making the right decision. A little more confident, he turned away from the door and started off down the hall.

They returned the keys to the superintendent and then made their way to the truck. There were no more long goodbyes or big hugs. Remy got Spencer into the backseat of the truck, Logan was already in the driver’s seat, and then Remy was giving out hugs of his own and promises to call and visit when they could and giving out invitations for them to come visit them. Then he was in the truck and they were waving out the windows as Logan pulled away from the apartments. Spencer leaned out, waving at them all, smiling as they called out goodbyes. He stayed that way until they rounded the corner. Then he slid back in, rolling his window up and curling up slightly in his seat.

This was the right thing, what he was doing. Moving in with Remy was exactly what he wanted to do. He would be happy there—happier than he’d been anywhere. That wasn’t in question; it was fact. He knew it. This was a new start to his life and one he was looking forward to so much.

All that aside, his heart broke a little to say goodbye to his team and to walk away from them and the job he loved. He tried not to let it bother him, pushing it down and forcing those emotions back, but it wasn’t working well. All of a sudden he was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Remy curse. He didn’t get the chance to ask him what was wrong. The next thing he knew, Remy was twisting his body, climbing between the two front seats and into the backseat.

Scowling, the Cajun settled onto the seat right next to Spencer, opening his arms. “Get over here.” He demanded. When Spencer gave him a strange look, Remy rolled his eyes and reached out, pulling Spencer into his arms, shifting him so that his head was on Remy’s shoulder. “Now, cher, will y’ quit trying to be so damn tough? Dere aint nothing wrong with what y’r feeling. Aint no reason y’ shouldn’t grieve a lil f’ de life y’r leaving behind. Dat’s normal and natural. Y’ swallow it down den y’r just gonna make y’rself sick.” The annoyance faded from Remy’s voice, turning it softer and sweeter. One of his hands was rubbing lightly over Spencer’s bicep in a soothing sort of way. “Go on an let it out, _mon amour_. Dere’s no shame in tears. Logan and I aint gonna mock y’ f’ dis. Y’r leaving behind some great family, Spencer. I know it hurts, yeah. Let it out.”

What else could he do? The love in Remy’s voice was the final bit that broke past his control. The tears started slowly, silently, despite his best intentions otherwise. He opened his mouth to try and tell Remy that he was fine, that he would be ok, but found himself whispering “I’m going to miss them, Rems.”

“I know you will, cher. _Je suis désolé_.”

With a shuddering sigh, Spencer turned his head, burying his face against his love as the dam broke and the tears flowed. Silent sobs shook his body, but Remy held on tight. And as the tears finally started to fade away, Remy was still there, holding him and stroking him, soothing him down until Spencer’s body slid into an emotionally exhausted sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Spencer woke once the whole trip, when they stopped off somewhere to stretch and use the bathroom. He yawned his way through the pit stop but obediently stretched his legs and took advantage of the restroom. As soon as they were back in the car he’d tucked himself against Remy’s side and gone to sleep once more. The next time Spencer woke, everything around him looked different. He blinked, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes, scowling as the evening sun seemed to blind him a little. How long had he been asleep? Groggy, he shifted his weight, a yawn stretching his mouth for a moment. Still scowling, he buried his head back against Remy. He could feel his lover chuckle slightly. “Come on now, sleepy head. Y’ve done slept de whole trip away. _Mais,_ y’ must’ve been tired, _mon amour_.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well lately.” Spencer mumbled. He gave another yawn. “And I’m always tired anymore.”

Another warm chuckle. “Henri said y’ would be, remember? Told y’ to listen to y’r body and sleep when y’ need. Dere’s a lot changing in dere, _oui_?” His hand shifted and gave a tug at Spencer’s ponytail. “But f’ now, up, up, cher. We’re almost at de gate.”

“Don’t care.” Spencer smiled to himself and tried to snuggle in more. “Sleeping.”

“ _Non_ , it’s time to wake up.”

“Uh-uh.”

Snorting, Remy poked at him. “Get up, y’ lazy bum.”

“Kiss my ass, you Cajun bum.” Spencer yawned out.

“ _D’accord_.” Remy easily agreed. “Once we’re in our room.”

From the front seat, Logan snorted. He stopped the car to enter the code at the gate and then they were heading up the drive. “That wasn’t an image I needed, Gumbo.”

“Jealous, _mon ami_? Y’ trying to say y’ want Remy to kiss y’r ass too?”

“In your dreams.” Logan pressed the button to open the garage door and pulled them inside. As soon as he had the car parked and off, he turned around and looked at them, a grin spreading over his face. “Looks like your better half fell back asleep again.”

That had Remy looking down. Sure enough, Spencer had his eyes closed and looked like he’d once again fallen asleep. Remy didn’t realize how his expression softened as he watched Spencer. “It’s lucky dat I been around carrying women afore and I know dat dis is normal. Plus, Morgan tells me Spencer aint been sleeping well lately. I’m glad he’s catching up on some.”

“You do realize there is no possible way to actually ‘catch up’ on sleep?” Spencer mumbled sleepily. One of his hands came up to wipe over his face. “And Morgan talks far, far too much about things that aren’t his business. Are we home, then?”

Hearing Spencer call this place home had Remy smiling broadly. “ _Oui_ , cher.”

“Oh.” Sitting up, Spencer unhooked his seatbelt and stretched out the small kink in his neck. One hand settled on his stomach to rub absently. “Is there a chance of food here?”

This time Remy and Logan both laughed. “There’s always something to eat here, kid.” Logan told him. The three climbed out of the truck, stretching out muscles that were stiff from riding for hours on end. Spencer put his hands above his head and stretched up with a large yawn, making his ears pop. When he dropped his arms back down, he looked at them and gave a smile that was still slightly sleepy at the edges. “Well, if there’s food, does someone plan on feeding me? I haven’t eaten since I threw up this morning.”

“Oh, I bet there’ll be plenty of people who’ll feed you, bub.”

Remy reached out and smacked Logan’s arm. “Sh! _Mais, homme,_ y’ just hush and take advantage of him being agreeable bout it. Give it a few days and he’s gonna be complaining at being fed, not asking f’ it.” Turning, Remy fixed one of his most charming smiles on his lips, offering one arm to Spencer. “ _Allez_ , _mon cœur._ Let’s go get y’ some food. What might y’ be hungry for, hm?”

A snicker slipped past Spencer’s lips, He slipped his hand into the crook of Remy’s arm, drawing himself up to his full height and letting his bearing turn every bit as regal as Remy was pretending. He could feel the playfulness in Remy as well as the joy and he knew the cause of it; he knew how happy it made Remy just to have Spencer moving in. Even more so with this pregnancy. How could Spencer feel that good mood just rolling off of Remy and not be caught up in it? His sleepiness was forgotten as he and Remy made their way into the house, Logan following behind and chuckling at them.

The trio made their way into the kitchen, still moving just as regally as before. Spencer smothered a smile when he saw Jean, Scott and Bobby in the room, three of the people he actually knew here and was friendly with. But keeping with the act, he left his nose in the air and allowed Remy to escort him to the table. The Cajun pulled out the chair for him. “Y’r chair, M. Spencer.”

“ _Merci beaucoup_.” Spencer replied smoothly. He took the seat and allowed Remy to push his chair in. it was hard not to laugh when Remy moved to stand beside the table, one arm over his waist and the other behind his back, looking for all the world like a classy waiter. “Is dere anything I can get y’ to start with, M. Spencer?”

Spencer pretended to dust at fake dust on his pants, giving a soft sniff. “A glass of water would be fine, _merci_.”

The loud snort Logan gave broke into their game. “You two are lunatics.” He said with a shake of his head. He leaned in the fridge, grabbing himself a beer and setting it on the counter. “I’m making myself a sandwich, scrawny. You want one or what?”

A sandwich did sound good. Spencer dropped the regal act and let an impish grin curve his lips. “Yes, please, Logan. Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

While Logan mad sandwiches and Remy went to get a glass of water, Spencer turned to look at the three other occupants of the room. “Hey, guys. How’re you doing tonight?”

“Doing well, Spencer. And look at you! You look like you’re doing wonderful!” Jean exclaimed.

Twisting in his chair, Scott looked him over, smirking slightly. “Nice clothes, Dr. Reid.” He deliberately used the title to make the taunt even more obvious. Spencer felt his cheeks heat but he didn’t back down. Instead, he angled his chin up just a little. “It was comfortable and all my other things were packed away already.”

“You guys got everything here, then, without any problems? An easy trip?”

That had Spencer ducking his head just slightly. Before he could answer, Remy was laughing and bringing his water over. “Not like dis _homme_ would know. Slept de whole way, he did. We had to get him up and make him walk at de rest stop and he just went right back to sleep afterwards.”

Jean nodded sagely. “Your body is going through quite an adjustment. It’s only natural that you’re so tired. Indulge it while you can. Once the children arrive, you’ll be wishing you had a chance to nap some.”

A soft scoffing sound came from the other side of them. Spencer heard it and he knew the only person it could have come from was Bobby. So, that pretty much told him how Bobby felt about this whole thing. The disgust in that sound had been obvious. Well, so long as he kept his opinions to himself, Spencer decided that now was not the time to worry about it. Right now he was in too good of a mood and the last thing he wanted was for it to be spoiled by someone else’s prejudices. Instead of reacting, he just smiled at Jean and Scott and said “I’ve already been warned that, once they arrive, it’s extremely smart to nap when they do. I plan to fully take advantage of that if possible.”

Logan made his way over to the table, setting down a plate in front of Spencer and then taking the seat across from him with his own food. “Eat up, kid.”

That was an easy order to follow. While the others discussed the trip, Spencer dug into his sandwich, realizing as he started to eat just how hungry he was. He hadn’t eaten since the pizza he’d thrown up before they left and his body was craving the sustenance that he was putting into it now. It didn’t take him long to polish off the stacked lunchmeat sandwich down to the very last crumb. When he was done, he rose and took his plate over to rinse it off in the sink.

Jean gave him one of her motherly looks. “At least you seem to have an appetite.”

“For now,” Spencer started to say. His words were interrupted by Bobby’s murmur of “Course he does. Gotta feed the parasites inside him.”

Shock had Spencer turning to stare. Bobby was bent over the plate of food he was supposed to be eating, glowering down at it. His words shocked everyone in the room. No one got a chance to speak up before Remy was right beside him, grabbing his shoulder to turn him slightly. “What de hell is y’r problem, Robert?” He snapped out.

Bobby glowered at him and rose to his feet. “My problem is that everyone is treating this like it’s normal and it’s not! Men are _not_ meant to have babies! Those aren’t sweet little kids in there. They’re parasites!”

It didn’t take a telepath to be able to read the two men and know what they were going to do. Spencer knew he couldn’t stop it. There was nothing he could do when Remy stepped threateningly forward and Bobby shoved him back. But that shove put them both right where Spencer _could_ do something about this. Bobby’s hands were lifted as if to shove again and Remy’s hand was lifted like he was going to throw a punch. Quick as a flash, Spencer grabbed knives from the butcher block by the sink and threw.

The sound of the knives flying and the solid thunk they made when they connected with the wall cut off any words anyone was going to say. All eyes were drawn to where Remy’s hand was pinned to the wall by a knife through his coat sleeve and then over to Bobby’s hand, which was pinned the same way. Remy knew better than to move. Bobby, however, didn’t. His eyes flashed around the room before he brought his free hand up to yank the knife free. Spencer threw another, letting it land in the wall right in front of Bobby’s face, freezing him.

In the silence of the room, Spencer stalked forward, temper practically boiling over. “That is _enough_.” He snarled at the two of them. His stopped in front of them, turning to glare at Bobby. “You and I had a friendship before you found this out about me. I had hoped that the friendship would be able to survive this kind of news. The fact that it can’t does hurt, but I’ll get over it. You can say or think anything in the world that you want to about me, but you _will_ watch your mouth about my children or the next time I come after you, I guarantee that I won’t aim so…nicely.”

Hands on his hips, Spencer turned his glare toward Remy. The Cajun grimaced and ducked his head slightly as Spencer started to lecture him now. “And you. I will make this clear right here and now and it had better be something you remember, Remy LeBeau. Just because I am pregnant does not make me the woman in this relationship. I am as much of a man as you, despite having the ability to carry children, and I am fully capable of acting like a man and standing up for myself. You want to play the bad ass hero, you just go out on another mission and do it there. But here, with us, you damn well better remember that I’m not as pathetic or incompetent as everyone seems to believe I am. I may look pitiful and weak, but that does not mean I can’t defend myself when the need calls for it, as I’ve proved to you more than once. I suggest you remember that.”

“I don’t t’ink y’r…” Remy started to say.

Spencer shook his head and cut him off. “I don’t really want to hear it right now. I am sore from sleeping in the car, somehow I’m still tired, and now I’m going to the boathouse to go to bed and try to fall asleep before the food decides that it doesn’t want to stay in my stomach. If you think you can get your macho act under control, come join me. If not, then sleep in the yard for all I give a damn.” And with that said, Spencer turned and stalked straight out of the kitchen.

The room stayed quiet for a long moment. Remy sighed and reached up, grabbing the hilt of the knife and yanking it out of the wall, releasing his other hand. Beside him, Bobby was staring at the knife in front of his face. The young man was in shock. Never had he thought that Spencer—the quiet, shy, surprisingly funny Spencer—would ever threaten him! “He could have killed me.”

Remy made a disgusted sound as he walked over to the sink to rinse the knife off. “He don’t miss what he aims f’. If he’d wanted to kill y’, den y’d be dead. He wanted to stop us fighting, first of all, and knew he couldn’t get cross de room in time. De second knife was to warn y’ not to move till he was done.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Spencer that angry.” Jean said with surprise. She looked over at the holes in the wall. “Then again, I don’t know that I’ve ever really seen him angry at all. His hormones must really be all over the place.”

To her surprise, Remy, Logan and Scott all laughed out loud. Reaching over, Scott put a hand on her shoulder, grinning at her. “You’ll get to know a whole new side of Spencer here, Jean. That wasn’t the hormones. Underneath that quiet boy persona that he puts out, Spencer has a raging temper that he’s never really been allowed to set free.”

Remy nodded in agreement. “ _Oui, mon ami_. People t’ink dat Spencer don’t feel t’ings as much as others. Truth is, dat _homme_ feel t’ings so _strong_. Got a passion in him f’ t’ings, no matter what it is he’s feeling. Just aint never been safe enough to let dem t’ings out without it hurting him in some way. Took Remy almost six months to get Spencer to finally fight when he got mad.” Leaning against the counter, Remy grinned at the memory. “ _Mais,_ dat was a fine temper he had dat day. T’rew t’ings at Remy.” Reaching up, he pulled back his hair, showing them a small scar on the hairline of his forehead, hidden by bangs. “See dat? Dat’s f’ moving too slow and not jumping outta de way of de lamp.” His grin was sharp and proud.

Laughter danced in Jean’s eyes. “He’s a thrower, is he?” It was well known that Jean could be one as well when she got mad; the downside for hers was that she could use her TK to help her throw things at the person dumb enough to get her that mad.

Remy put a hand over his heart and sighed theatrically. No one paid any attention to Bobby slinking from the room. “Oh, cher, dat man, y’ should see him when he gets dat mad. He’s so _beau_ when he gets in a fine temper. An de making up, dat’s always fun too, _oui_?” he winked with his last comment. As they laughed at him, Remy pushed away from the counter, still grinning. “Now, Remy gonna go on down dere and grovel real good and convince Spencer to let me make it up to him. _Bonne nuit, mes amis_!”

The three left in the room were all shaking their heads as they watched their Cajun friend almost skip from the room. “I get the feeling things are about to get much more interesting around here.” Jean joked. She smiled as she said it, though.

Logan put his plate in the sink and took the final drink off his beer. “He’s a good kid to have around. Don’t worry, he won’t cause any real trouble. Most of his temper tends to come out on Gumbo, not others. He’s still too scared to really blow at anyone else.”

One word in there caught Jean’s attention. “Scared?”

Leaning on the island, Scott sighed and nodded. He and Spencer had talked, quite often, and they had built a strong friendship together. He was one of the few people that knew some of Spencer’s past, though he hadn’t known about this male pregnancy condition until the meeting. “Let’s just say he’s had his fair share of bashing, sweetheart.”

“But he’s a good guy.” Logan added in quietly. “We’re lucky to have him here.”

Scott nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we are.”


	5. Chapter 5

Somehow Spencer had managed to put off shopping for new clothes for two weeks after his official ‘move in’ at the mansion. But after two weeks, even Spencer had to admit that he needed it. He was just a small built individual and, because of that, his clothes weren’t really fitting him anymore. At thirteen weeks, just finishing his first trimester, he was definitely showing. It could still be hidden underneath a slightly baggy shirt, but only just barely. Being a man, it just made it look like he had a small gut under the shirt.

The baggy shirts came in handy, since his pants didn’t always button anymore, and a baggy shirt hid the fact that he didn’t button his pants. Not that it was really a problem; he’d been battling morning sickness—which he had decided was not properly named, seeing as how he was sick through the entire day—so he’d mostly stayed out at the boathouse. If people wanted to see him, they came out there more often than not. However, in a regular fitting shirt or shirtless, there was absolutely no denying the pregnancy belly, something that Remy seemed to love.

But over the past week, the morning sickness had seemed to level out. So long as he avoided certain things and kept a pack of crackers on him at all times, he could get through an entire day now without throwing up. The constant need to pee was fading too, thankfully. His body was adjusting to the extra water he was putting in. And, even more wonderful, the fatigue was starting to fade. At the checkup they’d had with Hank just two days ago, the doctor had told them that everything was progressing fantastically. Also, they’d been able to hear the heartbeats this time, a moment that had brought tears not just for Spencer, but for Remy as well.

So, feeling better than he had for weeks, Spencer had found himself corralled into going into the city to go shopping. On the average day, Spencer wasn’t a shopper. The idea of going now when there was the potential that people would see his stomach and realize what it was, it terrified him. Admitting that to himself had been what had finally given Spencer the courage to go. He refused to let ignorant minded people force him into hiding out until the children were born. He had just as much right to be out in public as anyone else. Still, it made him feel immensely better when he realized that it wasn’t just he and Remy going. Logan, Storm, and Jubilee were all going with them to run errands as well. Ororo needed to go to the nursery to pick up a few things as well as a store for persona items; Jubilee just liked to shop; Logan was going to watch out for Jubilee and to act as a bit of a guard for the group. No one protested that.

All the mental reassurances in the world weren’t enough to stop Spencer from feeling nervous when they started to walk from the car toward the mall. Public places like this had always tended to make him just a little bit nervous when he was younger; there were so many people and no way to watch them all. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat, holding it close around him, his shoulders hunching slightly. Instinct had him drawing in on himself to try and present a smaller target. The technique had saved him more than once as a kid and a teen who had needed desperately not to stick out in the crowd. It had been so long since Spencer had felt that way. He hated that he was feeling it now. He was a grown man! This shouldn’t be a problem anymore for him. But that didn’t make it go away. Part of him felt like the kid he’d once been—ready to jump at shadows, never quite sure what was waiting for him and dead sure that any person he came in contact with was going to do him harm.

Suddenly an arm was sliding around his shoulders, settling comfortably there. Spencer tipped his head a little and slanted a look out the side of his shades to where Remy was now walking beside him. Remy was the only person in Spencer’s life that knew the whole, unvarnished truth of Spencer’s life. It had taken time to tell him, the truth hadn’t come out all at once. But over time, he’d let Remy in to that part of his life. In return, Remy had done the same. He said that there was no one that knew more of his life than Spencer. The two had seen the demons each man carried and still they were there for one another.

Spencer took a deep breath and tried to calm himself back down. He took one hand out of his pocket, slipping that arm around Remy’s waist. That seemed to help a little. It was a good reminder that he wasn’t a kid anymore and he most definitely wasn’t alone. Yes, there were still people out there that would want to hurt him and some that would want to hurt those with him. But none of them were easy targets and they were not alone. He was not a scared kid anymore; he was an adult and he was going to act like it.

In an effort to help lighten his mood, Spencer looked around the mall as they stepped in, trying to get into the swing of this. When his eyes lit on a store, a soft sound came past his lips. It was a sound of longing. Remy saw what he was looking at and immediately adjusted their route to avoid it. “Look over here, cher. Y’ wanna grab one of dem drinks from de smoothie shack y’ like so much?”

Spencer couldn’t stop the pout that settled on his face. “You’re a cruel, cruel man, Remy. Just one isn’t going to hurt me. Just a little one.”

“Look, dey got a new flavor in. Y’ wanna try dat one, cher?” Remy spoke as if he hadn’t heard Spencer’s words at all.

Grimacing, Spencer turned his head, looking over at his friends and trying to gauge which one might help him. Picking his target, he put on his most pitiful face. “Jubes, help a friend out over here. Remy’s being mean to me.”

“Mean, huh?” Jubilee grinned and sidled up to him. “What’s the matter, Spencer?”

“I just want—” A hand came over Spencer’s mouth, cutting off what he’d been about to say. Instantly he bit down, satisfied when Remy let out a yelp and let go. He turned back to his lover and glared at him. “That was uncalled for!”

“De answer is _non_ , Spencer.” The look Remy gave him was stern. “Y’ know dat, so don’t y’ even try giving me dat pouty face.  Even y’ agreed with Henri on dis one. Now, take what y’ can get or take nothing. Y’r choice.”

Remy being right didn’t take away from Spencer’s grumpy feeling. His pout switched over to a sulk. “I’ll take number seven.” He mumbled. Number seven was his favorite smoothie, a strawberry banana. Remy squeezed his shoulders in a sympathetic sort of way. After kissing Spencer’s cheek, he moved up to the stand, leaving Spencer there with his arms crossed over his chest, still sulking. Jubilee stepped up beside him, one arm going around his back, her other hand resting on his arm. “Aw, Spencer, quit looking so damn sad. You’re breaking my heart! What’s wrong? What’d that mean old Gambit do to you?”

With a low laugh, Logan shook his head. “I can guess. Our coffee junkie is cut off, isn’t that right, runt?” he taunted.

Spencer scowled over at his friend. “Shut up, Logan! It’s not funny. You guys just had to walk me right in the mall in full view of a Starbucks and not expect me to want one? That’s just cruel! It’s torture, I tell you!”

Smothering a laugh, Ororo stepped up to Logan’s side. “Why don’t we leave these young ones to do their shopping, Logan? I’m sure that Remy and Spencer can keep a perfectly good eye on Jubilee. I could use your help next door in the gardening store.” She said. Logan took a moment to look at Spencer and Jubilee before nodding. “Keep your phones on you and call if there’s trouble. And don’t get arrested, all right?” he ordered them. Cheekily, Spencer and Jubilee both saluted him. Logan was still shaking his head as he and Ororo took off.

The two turned back to one another to talk while they waited for Remy to come back over. “So,” Jubilee drawled out. A grin curved her lips. “We get to pick out new clothes for you, huh? This is going to be a blast, Spencer. Thanks for letting me come with.”

“No problem. And for the record, you can pick all the clothes you want, but that is no guarantee I’m going to agree to them.” Spencer flicked a finger over the tip of her nose. “I’ve seen your fashion sense and I can honestly say that, while it works for you, I seriously doubt that it would for me.”

“But you’ve got to let Rems and I dress you! We’ll have you looking fantastic!”

A pair of arms came around Spencer’s waist and Remy’s warm body pressed up against his back. One arm wrapped over Spencer’s stomach while the other held the smoothie out to him. “M’ man already looks fantastic, Jubilee. Don’t need to change nothing f’ dat. Just getting him t’ings dat fit better.” Remy told her. Spencer took his smoothie from Remy and took the first drink before smiling. “Flatterer.” He said.

Remy didn’t even deny it. “ _Oui._ Is it working?”

“Mm.” Spencer took another drink from his smoothie, enjoying the flavor. “A little. But feel free to continue to suck up.”

“Now dat sounds like a good time to me.” The leer in his words was obvious. Jubilee started laughing and Spencer turned to look at Remy’s face. “Promises, promises, Rems.”

Jubilee pushed at the two of them, making them stumble slightly. “Break it up you two, before you run off on me to go be freaky somewhere in the mall. We’re supposed to be here to shop, not flirt and make innuendos.”

Shifting out from behind Spencer, Remy took hold of Spencer’s hand. He gave his lover a mock look of pity. “She’s got so much to learn, cher. Can’t even manage to shop and flirt at de same time.” Reaching out, he snagged Jubilee around the neck, pulling her close as the trio took off through the mall. “Y’ stick close to Remy, _petit_. He’ll show y’ how to do all at once and make it work in y’r favor even more.”

“To _me_.” Spencer corrected automatically. “ _I’ll_ show.”

“ _Mais_ , dat’s what I said, Spencer. T’ink y’ need to get y’r ears checked, _mon ami_.”

The yelp Remy gave when Spencer pinched his ass echoed through that section of the mall.

CXCX

The first few stores they went into, Spencer didn’t really find anything that he wanted or that was really his style. Thankfully, Remy had declared that nothing in them suited Spencer, so Jubilee hadn’t been able to try to force Spencer into trying things he didn’t want to wear. But they’d allowed the girl a little time in two of them to find things for herself. In the third store, as they were getting ready to leave, Spencer noticed Jubilee’s hand drifting toward something on the shelf, her sleeve angled just right that he could see what she was going to do. Just as he could see the security guard carefully watching her. As discreetly as possible, he stepped up beside her, putting his arm around her waist, using that as a cover to pull her arm away before she could steal the little knickknack she’d been attempting to lift. “I’m getting a little warm in here. Come sit outside and wait for Remy with me?” he suggested. She allowed him to lead her out.

Once they were outside the store, Spencer sat down on the bench, almost yanking her down beside him. “That was a foolish thing to do.” He instantly scolded. Looking over, he glared at the girl who was now crossing her arms over her chest and slumping down slightly on the bench. “It was incredibly foolish, Jubilee. What on earth were you thinking?”

“Aw, Spencer!”

Remy came walking out of the store just then, his eyes scanning the crowd before focusing on them. Once he found them he made his way over. It was easy for him to read the body language. One eyebrow quirked over his sunglasses. “What’s wrong with de _petit_?”

Rolling his eyes, Spencer rose, absently rubbing at his stomach. His smoothie was long gone and he was getting a snacky feeling. “She tried a casual touch without checking for any snakes. I stopped her and now she’s sulking.” Biting his lip, he looked over Remy’s shoulder, eyes focusing on what he wanted. He looked back to his lover and put on his most winning smile. “Would you explain to her why she’s being ridiculous while I go get myself a giant pretzel? They smell fantastic. Would you like one?”

Thinking for a second, Remy finally nodded. “Sounds good. _Merci, mon cœur._ ” He made his way to the bench and took Spencer’s vacated seat, absently watching the young genius make his way to the little pretzel stand. Part of Remy’s attention stayed focused on Spencer while the rest turned to Jubilee. He took in the sulk on her face and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ah, _petit_ , why de long face? Spencer saved y’ from being arrested, _non_?”

“What does he know? I was doing just fine.” She grumbled.

Remy leaned back against the bench seat, settling his single bag between them before putting his arm on the back of the bench. His eyes drifted to the store they just came out of. “Were y’? Tell Remy, did y’ see de cameras at de front, left side and two in de back?”

Scowling, Jubilee turned to look at him. “Of course I did! And I saw the scanner for the magnetic tags, but it didn’t have one on it.”

“And did y’ keep tabs on de cashier and de guard patrolling de main part of de mall?”

“Yes! I looked for everything, Remy.”

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Did y’, now? Let’s see. Let Remy ask y’ dis, den. Do y’ see dat man over dere at de entrance of de store, looking through de doodads on dat shelf der? Red bandana on his left arm and de torn jeans.”

After a glance, Jubilee looked back to Remy. “Yeah. What about him?”

“Did y’ know he’s mall security?” At Jubilee’s shocked look, Remy nodded. “Doesn’t really show much but f’ his body language. De way he carries himself and moves in and out of de stores. Doesn’t really get t’ings when he shops and he’s always angled to watch de people dat come in and out. And if y’ look real careful, y’ can tell he’s carrying. Dat’s what we call a snake, cher. Dey lie in wait and strike when y’ make a mistake. Y’ see, Spencer wasn’t trying to ruin y’r fun. He was helping y’.”

Leaning back, Remy let her think about what he’d said, knowing that it was going to take her a moment to process it. People tended to have a hard time thinking of Spencer as anything but a nerd, a genius, or a Fed. The random moments that the street kid buried inside of him came up were few and far between around anyone but Remy.

Love warmed Remy as he watched Spencer start to make his way back over toward them. He was balancing three pretzels, obviously trying to think of how to carry them and manage to eat a bite of his all at the same time. He almost ran into three people, he was focusing so hard on his task. Remy was beyond thankful that some of the nausea seemed to be fading away. Hank wasn’t too pleased with Spencer’s weight, saying that he needed to gain more. But it had been almost impossible when almost all food had made him sick. Now, little by little, he was gaining that appetite back.

When he got close, Spencer sat down on Remy’s free side, handing him a cinnamon and sugar pretzel that Remy passed down to Jubilee, who took it with surprise. Next came a salted pretzel. Spencer settled down with his, which was plain, and he held a large cheese cup between him and Remy. “I figured we’d just share the cheese.” He explained.

Remy looked at the cup and up to Spencer with a smirk. “Uh huh. Y’ just want some of m’ salt to fall in dere so y’ can get some of it.”

The wide grin that Spencer suddenly wore was answer enough. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. But, I must say, it’s a rather ingenious idea, Mr. LeBeau. If I _had_ thought it, well, it would be rather smart.”

“Y’r something else, Spencer. Dat’s all I got to say about y’. Y’r something else.”

“You wouldn’t have me any other way.” With another grin, Spencer took the first bite of his pretzel, chewing happily

CXCX

Why on earth had he ever agreed to this? Sitting on the bench inside the dressing room, Spencer stared at the clothes he’d been given to try on. Why had he bothered to come with them? He could’ve easily just sent Remy in and let him pick out the clothes. The other man knew what kinds of things Spencer liked and he wouldn’t have brought him back clothes that Spencer would hate; he knew better than to do that. But no, instead of just letting Remy have free reign, he’d had to come in with the man and actually shop. Hell, who said he needed new clothes anyways? He could just hang out in pajama pants and big shirts all the time!

Pausing in his thoughts, Spencer shook his head. Even he knew that that sounded ridiculous. He sighed and looked at the clothes once again. _Come on, just admit what the real problem is here_ he scolded himself. It wasn’t like anyone else was in here with him and there was no one here reading his mind. To himself at least he could admit what was irritating him. It just seemed so, so…silly.

The door to the changing room slipped open suddenly and Spencer watched as Remy smoothly slipped in, shutting the door behind him. His eyes were locked on Spencer, who sat in just his shirt and boxers, sitting cross legged on the bench. Furrowing his brow, Remy moved forward and squatted down in front of him, reaching up to slide his sunglasses to the top of his head. He reached out and shifted Spencer’s sunglasses up as well so that they could look into one another’s eyes. “What’s wrong, Spencer?” he asked while rubbing lightly at Spencer’s knee.

First instinct was to say there was nothing wrong—he squashed that easily enough. He didn’t want to lie to Remy and it wouldn’t have worked anyways. Remy knew him too well. Instead, he tried to minimize it, not wanting to embarrass himself. “I was just having a moment, that’s all. It’s fine, Remy.”

“Don’t, Spencer. Tell me what’s bothering y’.” The tone to those words told Spencer clearly that he’d worried his partner. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

Lifting a hand, he reached out and ran his knuckles down Remy’s cheek. He summoned up an honest smile for the older man. “You worry too much, Rems. You’re going to give yourself wrinkles.” Despite the teasing, he sighed. There really was going to be no way around this. “It wasn’t anything serious. Just me indulging in a moment, that’s all. I wasn’t truly upset. More, sulking a little with myself. Man, I feel like such a girl saying this!” Blush filled Spencer’s cheeks and he brought his hands up to cover his face. “I tried on the pants and none of them fit and I was just having a little pity party at having grown so much already and thinking about how much more my waist is going to grow. That’s it, Rems. Apparently I was having a chick moment.”

To his credit, Remy didn’t laugh at him. Spencer was grateful for that. As much as he would’ve understood, he might’ve had to hit him if he’d laughed. His hands stayed on Spencer’s knees, thumbs stroking the skin there. “Y’r waist is going to swell, _mon cœur_. Dere’s going to be no stopping dat. But y’ know what? Y’ll still be _beau_ to me. I’m going to love every extra inch y’ gain, Spencer, because I know dat it’s all our _petits_. I love de little bump y’ have now. It looks so sweet on y’, cher. I hate dat y’ cover it up, me. I love to see it. Love to look at y’ and see what we made together.”

Though he cried nowhere near as easily as he had a few weeks ago, the tears still came easier for him. Yet Spencer thought that anyone might have cried a little if they had someone telling them the things that Remy had just said. He lowered his hands, eyes sparkling with tears, to cup Remy’s face. Leaning down a little, he gave his partner a kiss. “Thank you.”

“ _Bien sûr_. Now, let me go change dese out and I’ll bring in some more t’ings, _d’accord_?”

Spencer sat back and nodded. “ _D’accord._ ”

In no time at all, Remy was back with new clothes. This time, he didn’t bother staying outside the room. He walked right in when he brought the clothes and shut the door behind him. After putting them on the hook, he gestured at Spencer to stand up and handed him a pair of pants. “Try dese, cher. Dey should fit fine.” He pushed his shades back up as he settled against the door to watch. Spencer cocked an eyebrow as he took the plain blue jeans and started to pull them on. “Do you mind?” He teased.

Smirking, Remy shook his head. “Not at all, cher.”

As he pulled the pants up, Spencer smothered a chuckle. He zipped and buttoned the jeans, adjusting them on his waist. Once they were on, Remy started to sift through the tops that were hanging in there. Spencer took the hint and went ahead and pulled his shirt off. He had to admit that it was a definite ego boost when Remy turned around and Spencer saw the way his eyes flashed and could feel the spark of lust. “ _Dieu_.” Remy tossed a t-shirt at Spencer. “Put dis on afore I f’get we’re in a public place, _mon cœur_.”

Spencer couldn’t help his smile even as he pulled the shirt over his head. It was just a basic blue short sleeved t-shirt. The very first thing he noticed was that there was no hiding his stomach in this shirt. It was undeniable. _That’s just something you’re going to have to come to terms with sooner or later, Spencer Reid. You can’t keep hiding your stomach. People are just going to have to deal with it or get over it, one or the other. It’s not right that you should have to keep hiding yourself like you’re ashamed. Is that what this is? Are you ashamed of your babies?_

Rubbing one hand over his stomach, Spencer stepped a little closer to the mirror, looking at himself. Was he ashamed? Instead of just brushing the question off, he actually took a moment to analyze his emotions. There was worry, yes. A small hint of fear. Not just for what people would think, but for the complications that came with a twin pregnancy. But there was also excitement. And there was pride. These little babies were his and Remy’s. Theirs. They weren’t children a surrogate would carry, that would only have one of their DNA. They weren’t adopted. No, these twins were a combination of the two of them. How could he be ashamed of them?

A small smile curved his lips without him realizing it. He hadn’t been dressing baggy solely for his own comfort lately. No, he’d done it to hide, the same as staying out at the boathouse most of the time. The clothes and the nausea and all of that had been easy excuses to avoid seeing anyone but Remy. Granted, so far it seemed that those at the mansion didn’t have a problem with this, at least according to the little he’d had contact with them and what Remy had told him. Only Bobby really seemed to have a problem with things. That first night, though, and the issues they’d had with Bobby had made him afraid. Because of that, he’d been reacting negatively.

“I’ve been hiding out, haven’t I?” He murmured suddenly. He looked at Remy through the mirror, giving him a small smile. “I’ve been hiding in the boathouse and in my clothes.”

Remy smiled back at him in a gentle sort of way. “ _Oui_. I figured y’ just needed to adjust. Dis, it’s a lot to take in. A lot to adjust to. I was willing to give y’ all de time y’ needed.”

And yet again, Remy showed his love for his partner. It made Spencer’s smile grow. “I’m done hiding, Rems. I’m not going to walk about and shove it in people’s faces but I refuse to let myself hide out anymore.”

The light that came into Remy’s eyes said exactly how much this pleased him. “Good.” He told him softly. Then he switched his voice over to their usual teasing they shared. “Don’t t’ink y’ can hide it no more, cher. In clothes dat fit, y’ definitely look pregnant. It’s nice.” He walked over, holding out a long sleeved over shirt. Spencer lifted his arms and slipped into it, leaving it unbuttoned at the front. He looked at his reflection and smiled. It was a good look. A _him_ look. Just…a little fuller around the stomach.

“T’ink we got y’r sizes now, cher.” Remy’s voice was warm by his ear as the Cajun wrapped his arms around Spencer from behind. His hands stroked over Spencer’s stomach. “Y’ look _bon_ , cher. _Très bon_.”

“Thank you.” Turning his head, he gave his partner a kiss. Then he grinned. “Let’s go get some more things and then go find some lunch. I think we’re hungry.”

CXCX

By the time Logan and Ororo found them again, the trio was sitting in the food court, laughing hysterically as Remy finished a story he was telling. Spencer was sitting back in his chair a little, one hand resting on his stomach, fingers laced with Remy’s, the hand on his stomach holding yet another smoothie. On the table were the remnants of Chinese food.

“I see how it is.” Logan said as he walked up to the table. “We leave and you brats go and eat without us.”

Remy tipped his head up to grin at them. “Y’ expected me to tell Spencer to wait f’ y’ to get here afore he could eat? Y’r crazy, _homme_.”

Laughing, Ororo bent and kissed the top of Remy’s head. “Do not let Logan fool you, brother. We already ate on our way back over. Are you three ready to head back to the car? You look as if you’ve bought plenty.”

“I’m ready.” Spencer admitted. He stretched his legs under the table and tried to discreetly straighten up and stretch out his back. He should have known better than to think it would be discreet. Remy caught sight of it and that was all it took for him to say “Let’s go on and get back to de car, _mes amis_. T’ink we put a good dent in our bank accounts today.”

In short order the group were making their way out of the mall and toward the truck. They’d stuffed all of them into Logan’s truck so that they’d have the truck bed, covered by a canopy just in case of rain, to put their purchases and Ororo’s plants. The group climbed in, the younger trio taking the back while Ororo and Logan took the front. Spencer didn’t really mind, even if it did take him a second to climb in. Once he was in his seat, Remy lifted an arm and wrapped it around him, allowing Spencer to snuggle in close. That made it the perfect seat to sit in. He sighed into the embrace and let himself drift a little as the truck roared to life.


	6. Chapter 6

When they got back to the mansion, Remy easily convinced Spencer to have a lie down at the boathouse for a bit. Or, at least, he’d thought he had. When they got there, Remy tossed Spencer’s new things into the wash while his lover went upstairs to their room. After everything was tag free and running in the washer, Remy went to go see if Spencer had settled down. What he found derailed any plans of a nap that either one of them had. Spencer was stretched out on the bed, wearing the shirt he’d stolen from Remy— _just_ that shirt.

“ _Bon Dieu_.” Remy murmured. His eyes traveled over those long, long legs, up to the hem of the shirt that stopped teasingly mid-thigh, up to the sultry face that was watching him with so much heat in those white eyes. It instantly kicked to life the heat in his blood. When Spencer smiled at him, a smile that Remy knew oh so well, all the blood in his body pooled down south. “I thought you might want to join me.” Spencer said huskily. “But you look a tad overdressed for the occasion.”

“Easy enough to fix dat.” Toeing off his shoes, Remy kicked them aside. His hands reached down to grab the hem of his shirt and pull it up and over at the same time that he kicked the bedroom door shut behind him. By the time he reached the edge of the bed, there was a trail of clothes behind him. Completely naked and totally at ease in his own skin, he slid into the bed, moving easily over top of his lover. Lust was bright on Spencer’s face. Long fingered hands came up, tracing over Remy’s stomach, over his sides and up his back. “You’re so beautiful.” Spencer sighed out. His hands traced over the scars on Remy’s back before lightly scratching up his spine, making Remy hum happily. He bent his head, pressing a kiss to those soft, soft lips. “So are y’, _mon cœur_. So _beau_.”

Remy absolutely loved how responsive Spencer was in bed. It was beyond erotic to him to watch as his young lover came to life underneath him, twisting and turning and making those sounds that Remy loved so much. But he wasn’t the only one that liked to touch and taste and tease. Spencer drew Remy down into their kiss, putting all his passion into it and, at the same time, perfectly distracting the Cajun. It gave Spencer the opening he needed to latch on and then flip their bodies over so that Spencer was on top and Remy was under him.

When they broke apart, Spencer’s grin was just a little devilish. Gone was the shy man that people got to see in public; the one who still blushed at some naughty jokes. In here, when it was just the two of them, Spencer lost any inhibitions. Remy loved it.

Spencer straddled Remy’s waist, balancing on his arms as he looked down at him. “Mm.” He hummed. There was a small spark of light in his eyes, like a flash of lightning. Then Spencer was bending his head, nuzzling against Remy’s neck. When Remy reached to touch, Spencer moved one hand and captured his, moving them above his head and pressing them into the pillow. He lifted his head to look down at him firmly. “No touching. It’s my turn right now.”

Oh, God. Remy swallowed and nodded. After Spencer let go of him, he kept his hands above his head, getting a good handful of the pillow. When his lover got in moods like this, he could drive Remy absolutely crazy. And that was apparently what the younger man was setting out to do. He started at Remy’s neck, nipping and sucking and tasting his way over the skin there, pulling little moans from Remy. Then he moved down, apparently intent on tasting every inch of skin as he went. When he sucked on Remy’s collarbone, the Cajun squeezed the pillow and dropped his head back on a groan. That groan turned to a full-fledged moan when Spencer took a sensitive nipple into his mouth and bit and sucked it to a tortured peak.

Remy tried to lift his head enough to watch his lover, but he couldn’t. The pleasure was racing through his veins. All he could do was lie there and fight not to reach out and touch as Spencer’s mouth went lower and lower, tracing the few scars on his abdomen, stopping at his belly button to tease him. “ _Bon Dieu_ , Spencer. _S’il tu plait._ ”

“Please what, baby?” The hands that slid over Remy’s hips felt like they were burning. “What is it you want? This?” Bending, Spencer bit at Remy’s hip bone before soothing it with his tongue. The Cajun’s hips jumped and a throaty moan came out. When Spencer repeated the same on the other side, he gripped the pillows tighter, aching to reach out and touch him. He heard Spencer chuckle. “Or was this what you wanted, baby?”

Without any more warning than that, Spencer slid down and closed his mouth over Remy’s swollen head, sucking him in and making Remy sob out a moan. He barely noticed the babble of words that spilled past his lips as Spencer sucked more and more of him in. All he could focus on was how deliciously wonderful that sinful mouth felt as it drove him crazy. Spencer knew exactly what he liked and how he liked it and used that against him until Remy was writhing on the bed, moaning and panting. When Spencer moved, letting Remy slip from his mouth, the older man shuddered at the loss of sensation and forced his eyes to focus.

What he saw had him moaning once more. Spencer sat up, perfectly straddling Remy. He must have been preparing himself while he’d been sucking Remy because he didn’t hesitate now to reach behind him and wrap a hand around Remy’s cock, holding the rigid flesh in place as he positioned himself and started to slide down, his body slicked and ready. It was absolute heaven. Remy couldn’t resist anymore; he brought his hands down, settling them on Spencer’s thighs, stroking the trembling limbs to help soothe them both as Spencer’s body adjusted to him. Remy fought to keep still and not explode here and now in that tight heat.

After a moment, Spencer started to move, slow rocking motions that drove them both wild. Remy slid his hands up Spencer’s thighs, reaching the edge of the shirt he still wore and taking hold of the hem. He pulled while Spencer bent down, taking a kiss. Their kiss broke apart and Remy pulled the shirt off, tossing it to the side. That allowed him to feel the skin he loved so much. To admire the play of muscles in Spencer’s thighs as he rose and fell over and over. It allowed him to look at that beautiful swell to his lover’s stomach that he loved.

The heat in Remy was building. He knew he was close. The room was filled with the sound of flesh on flesh, pants and moans, words murmured in French. Remy felt Spencer’s pace pick up and moved his hand off the man’s hip to wrap around his aching flesh, jerking him in time with their lovemaking. He watched Spencer throw his head back as he moaned. He was absolutely beautiful. Arched up over him, riding him with that unrestrained passion. It was too much. On a loud moan, Remy thrust his hips up to meet him, his body going taunt with the strength of the orgasm that ripped through him. He felt Spencer’s body clench and freeze and he too was cumming, screaming his pleasure out.

Remy barely managed to make his arms work enough to catch Spencer and roll them sideways so that his love wouldn’t simply collapse on him. For a long moment they just lay there, smiling at one another, catching their breath. Finally Remy leaned forward and kissed Spencer’s lips. “Y’r gonna be de death of me one day, _mon allée chat_.”

“Hell of a way to die.” Spencer said smugly. He had that half-lidded, sleepy, just-got-laid look to him. It made Remy smile. “ _Oui_ , dat it is.”

Eventually he made himself climb out of bed and move toward the bathroom to clean the mess off of his chest. It didn’t surprise him in the least bit when he came out and found Spencer curled up in the middle of the bed, sound asleep. Remy took a moment to move downstairs and switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Then he decided to go back upstairs and lie down with Spencer. There was nothing that Remy had to do for another few hours yet, so he figured he was safe to indulge in a little nap.

Yet, when he climbed into bed, he didn’t immediately lie down. Instead, he found himself staring at Spencer’s back, eyes tracing over the skin there. No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn’t help the sadness and anger that came inside of him. He’d learned long ago how to lock that reaction away so that Spencer wouldn’t feel it. That was the last thing the other man needed. He was self-conscious enough about the marks on his back; having Remy grow angry and sad each time he saw it would only encourage him to hide himself. It had taken months after they’d started to sleeping together before Spencer had become comfortable enough to take his shirt completely off during lovemaking.

Remy had understood why. When it was obvious that their relationship was getting serious, when they knew it was going to move in a sexual direction, Spencer had sat Remy down and been honest with him. He’d told him all about the scars on his back. He’d told Remy the tale of when he’d first come into his mutation and his empathy had almost overpowered him, making him lash out with the electricity before he’d even realized what he was doing. At the time he’d been being shoved inside a locker once more by bullies at school. The explosion of his power had fried all the electronics in the school and he’d screamed bloody murder from the pain it had brought to his head. The two boys touching him were sent flying like they’d been hit with a Taser.

Then, looking anywhere but at Remy, Spencer had told of how the bullies had found him a week later. He told Remy that they’d stripped him naked and tied him to a goalpost on the football field, his backside exposed to them all. His voice had gone flat when he’d spoken of how they’d decided that a freak like him needed something on the outside to mark him so that people would know what a freak he was. And so, a group of drunken teenage boys had thrown lighter fluid on him before striking a match.

Spencer had said that the only thing that had saved his life was the night janitor. The man had seen them out there and had already called the police. When he saw them throw the lighter fluid on, he’d taken off running toward them. He wasn’t in time to stop them from setting fire to the small child, but he was able to get water on him to put it out before it killed him. From that day forth, Spencer carried the scars, marking him on the outside the way that they’d promised.

Bending, Remy kissed the scarred flesh, wishing he could go back in time and hurt the people who had thought to burn a child, a twelve year old child, simply because he was different. He hated how badly the memory still hurt Spencer. The tears his lover had silently cried when he’d told the story had ripped at Remy’s insides. That had been a hard night for them. With the utter faith Spencer had shown in him by telling him that story, Remy had finally opened himself up and talked in a way he never had with anyone else. Instead of giving bare bones of childhood moments, he told Spencer some of his horrors as well.

A sigh slid past his lips as Remy laid down and snuggled in against his partner. He pulled the blankets over them and wrapped his arm around Spencer’s waist, letting his hand rest on his stomach. In that moment of quiet, he made a promise to himself, to Spencer, and to their children .They would never have to live with the kind of pain their parents had. They wouldn’t know constant fear or starvation. They would never know about adult hands on a child’s body in ways they never should be. They would never feel more like an experiment than a human. He and Spencer would make sure they always knew safety and security and, above all, love. They would know they were loved.

“ _Je t’aime,_ Spencer.” He kissed the back of Spencer’s shoulder, over the light scars there. Then he nuzzled in against his neck and drifted off to sleep.

CXCX

The sound of his cell phone ringing pulled Spencer up and out of sleep. Instinctively he reached out to the nightstand and grabbed it, hoping that he pressed the right button before he brought it up to his ear. “Dr. Reid.” He answered, stifling a yawn.

Warm laughter echoed in his ear. “That would sound more professional if you didn’t sound like a sleepy little kid.”

“Morgan.” Spencer said the name warmly. Shifting, he stretched his body out, letting his yawn stretch out before he spoke again. “Sorry, I was sleeping. We went shopping this morning and apparently it made me more tired than I realized.” Not to mention the physical activity he’d indulged in once they were home. That made Spencer grin. It also brought to his attention the fact that the bed he was in was empty. He sat up and looked down at the bed. There was a note sitting on the extra pillow.

“You, shopping?” Morgan teased.

As he reached for the note, Spencer rolled his eyes. “Yes, me. I finally gave up the good fight and let Remy drag me to a mall to get clothes that fit me. My stomach seems to have grown an extra few inches in just this past week.” He brought the note close, squinting down at it. On the paper was Remy’s familiar, elegant scrawl. _‘Spencer – I had to go to a session in the Danger Room and you looked too sweet to wake up. I’ll be up at the main house for a little while if you’d like to come up. Don’t let yourself be afraid of what people are going to say or do. Be proud of who you are and remember, you’re beautiful to me. Je t’aime, my little alley cat._ ’ Reading it, Spencer couldn’t help but smile. Remy apparently wasn’t going to let Spencer hide out anymore now that he’d admitted that was what he was doing. Well…good. He needed to get out of this boathouse. Time to return to the real world.

Putting down the note, Spencer turned his full attention to the phone. “But, anyways, shopping is beside the point. Were you calling for a purpose or to simply chat, Morgan? I’m sorry I’m running a little slow. My brain isn’t quite on full alert yet.”

“It’s ok, kid. Actually, I do have a purpose for calling. We’re on a case right now and we could really use your help. This guy left us a code.”

That grabbed Spencer’s attention quickly. His body straightened and his brain seemed to kick on. “A code?”

“Yeah. I’m in the car right now, so I don’t have it in front of me. I was calling to see if, in about ten or fifteen minutes, if you might be able to talk with us and see what we can get from you. You got a fax we can send some photos to for you? We’re not sure if the photos of the scene will have any impact on the code itself or its meaning.”

Already rising from the bed, Spencer tried to think of where he could go. To work on a code he’d need a place to write it out and to hang up any pictures. A regular classroom was out of the question; he didn’t need younger folks walking in while he was working. But maybe he could take one of their white boards and use it in one of the offices? “I can find a place. Let me get up to the house and see. I’ll call you as soon as I’ve got something set up.”

“Thanks, Reid.”

Spencer hung up the phone and tossed it down on the bed. He made his way to the dresser and grabbed a pair of boxers and some socks, tossing those to the bed as well. In the closet he found that Remy had apparently washed and hung all of his new clothes. Spencer barely spared a moment to smile at that before he grabbed a pair of black slacks, a gray t-shirt and a black and dark gray striped long sleeved over shirt. In no time at all he was fully clothed and was sitting on the edge of the bed to pull on one red plaid sock and one green and white striped sock. After he was done, he grabbed his cell phone and stuffed it in his pocket before leaving the room.

When he got downstairs he saw that it was raining outside. His usual converse shoes wouldn’t do for walking up in the rain like this. Instead, he grabbed a pair of Remy’s boots, one of his pair of biker boots, not hesitating to sit down on the bench by the door and pull them on. Once they were zipped up, he stood up and grabbed his purple scarf, winding it around his neck, and then one of the many jackets in the closet. He didn’t even realize as he was doing all this that he was dressing like the old Reid instead of the lazily dressed person he’d been lately. His attention wasn’t even on the clothes he put on or the rain that fell on him as he made his way out of the boathouse and up the yard to the house. The only notice he gave to the rain was to bless the clouds for shading the sun; he’d forgot his sunglasses in the boathouse and he didn’t want to go back.

By the time he reached the main house, his hair was soaked. He stood in the front hall and took a second to shake the water off his hair and to use his scarf to wipe off his face.

As he did that, he heard a voice call out “Look at you, you’re soaked!” Turning, Spencer saw Jean moving toward him, a motherly smile on her face. “Spencer Reid, haven’t you heard of an umbrella?”

“Huh?” Looking at himself, dripping on the floor, he shrugged. “Oh, that. It’s fine. Listen, Jean, I was wondering if you could help me out.” Maybe she would know the perfect area for him to go to. His wet appearance was forgotten as his mind focused on the task at hand. “Is there perchance a room I could use that would have a phone, a fax machine, a board on which to write, and privacy from the younger members of the household?”

The randomness of his request seemed to surprise her. Her eyebrows shot up and she stopped in front of him to stare for a second. Spencer waited rather impatiently. Finally she blinked away the shock and her look grew thoughtful. “The best I can think of is Scott’s office. He’s still down in the Danger Room, so I’m sure he won’t mind if you use it for a bit. Right this way.”

“Thank you.”

Spencer knew where Scott’s office was, but he followed Jean down there anyways, letting her head. When they entered the room, she moved to one side and pulled out a board while Spencer went straight to where the fax machine was. He turned that on and then turned to the phone on the desk, dialing a number and hitting the speaker button. His mind was already focused on this and had almost completely forgotten that Jean was even in the room. After a few rings, Morgan’s voice echoed around the office. “That was quick, pretty boy.”

“You’ve offered me a puzzle, Morgan, and I’ve been puzzle free for weeks now.” Spencer said with a laugh. “Now quit picking on me and send me what you need to send. The fax number is…” He leaned over to look, but Jean called the numbers out to him as she brought over a large dry erase board from the closet. “It’s 391-555-2324.”

“Ok. It’s on its way.”

The fax machine buzzed to life and Spencer nodded. “Good. I’ll call you back shortly.”

He took the first picture as it printed, his eyes scanning it automatically as he made his way toward the board. Part of his mind realized that Jean was still standing in the room, right by the desk. Absently he asked her “Would you mind handing me the tape please, Jean?”

“Of course.”

Picture after picture came through, each one taped up on the board. When he had them there, he stepped back and took a look at them as a whole. They perfectly depicted the crime scene. In the picture in the center was a wall where the Unsub had, in a complete cliché, written his message in what appeared to be blood. The room itself looked like something from a horror story. Blood was everywhere, all over the walls and the floor and the furniture. On the floor was a body so badly mutilated that Spencer couldn’t even determine gender. Vaguely he heard Jean gasp and he saw her move away out of the corner of his eye, turning to walk toward the door.

Spencer chewed on his lip as he read through the code that was written there. One thing immediately became clear. Reaching to the desk, Spencer hit redial and then the speakerphone button. As soon as someone answered, he said “I need a key.”

“What?”

“There should be something there, somewhere, that acts as a key to the code. But nothing in the photos shows anything that would be the key.” Spencer chewed on his lip and looked at the board.

They must have put him on speaker as well because Aaron’s voice came next. “The victims are all women in their early to mid-twenties. Each one fits a basic physical description….”

CXCX

Fifteen minutes later, Scott, Remy and Warren made their way into Scott’s office. Scott and Warren had been coming to discuss something and Remy had followed because he’d sensed his lover over their link and knew he was in the room. When they entered, Remy grinned at the two men. “See. Remy told you Spencer was in here, _mes amis_.”

The three stood for a second and watched the scene in front of them. Spencer was moving back and forth in front of a large whiteboard, muttering to himself, looking like a drowned rat. On the board was a group of letters that made absolutely no sense. Jean was standing to one side, hands on her hips, glaring at him. In one hand she held a towel. “Spencer, I swear, would you listen to me?” she demanded.

Scott hooked his hands in his pockets and raised an eyebrow at the two. “My office seems to have become overrun.” He said dryly.

At the sound of his voice, Jean’s head snapped up. She sighed and made her way over to them. “Sorry, Scott. I thought you’d be a while yet.” When she got close, she gave him apologetic smile. “Spencer came up to the house and asked if he could use a room with a fax, a board to write on, a phone, and privacy from younger household members. This was the best place I could think of. And trust me, the privacy was a good plan.” She gave a soft little shudder before straightening back up. Exasperation tinged her face next when she looked over to Spencer, who was still muttering an pacing. “I’ve been trying to get him to take off some of those wet things and dry himself off for about ten minutes now, but I swear he’s gone deaf.”

Remy grinned at her and reached out to take the towel. “Allow me, cher. Remy learned how to work around Spencer a long time ago.”

“By all means, have at it.”

He didn’t say a word as he made his way over to his partner. Instead of trying to talk to him, Remy simply walked right up and stood in front of him, taking a hold of the front of his coat. The others watched as Spencer froze, looking at Remy in a distracted sort of way. “Yes?”

“Nothing, cher.” Remy reassured him. Reaching out, he started to unzip the front of Spencer’s coat. “Just getting y’r coat, dat’s all. Gonna get y’ a little dry, _oui_?”

Spencer looked down as if just realizing that he was still dripping. “Oh, yes. Dry.” He started to help, pulling his coat off on his own and letting Remy take it. He even unwound his scarf from around his neck and handed it to his lover. Remy came back and took Spencer’s arm, leading him to one of Scott’s chairs and sitting him down. Then he took the towel and set about drying Spencer’s hair. “Talk it out f’ Remy, cher. What’s going on here?”

“Mm. The team called for a consult. There’s a code at the latest crime scene that no one is able to decipher and they were hoping I’d be able to. The first line was easy, just a simple transposition of letters. But all that told me was ‘The Key is in the scenes.’.” Spencer scowled over at the board. “There were no other words written at any of the crime scenes, which means the key is something that’s at the scenes that’s significant. What, I don’t know. But I can’t crack the code until I know what the key is.”

Suddenly Spencer’s eyes lifted and he saw the three others still standing by the door. A small blush heated his cheeks. “Oh! Scott, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think I’d be taking up this much time in your office. I can clear things out for you.”

Scott smiled at him and shook his head. “No, no, it’s no problem. I was just fetching something for Warren and then I need to work on the computer. If the clacking of my keys doesn’t bother you then please, feel free to stay.”

“So long as my muttering and talking doesn’t disturb you.” Spencer said back.

The grin he got in return made him smile as well. “You could have a screaming match in here and it wouldn’t disturb me, Spencer. I’m used to chaos and noise.”

That was all Spencer needed to be reassured. His attention went off those in the room and back to the puzzle. Remy was done drying his hair and it left Spencer free to rise and make his way back to the board. Taking hold of the top, he rotated it, flipping it to the other side so that he could see the taped up pictures. Jean made a sound behind him and turned away again. Even Warren made a surprised sound. Scott paid absolutely no attention, busy getting into his filing cabinet. It was Remy who stepped up beside Spencer to look right along with him. “Dese are de crime scenes, den?”

“Yes. They’re sectioned off this way, see?” He gestured to the columns he’d put them in. “Victim one, two, three, four, and then the newest one over here. What I need to do is find the pattern in the photos. Things that are the same. His signature is this, right here. See?” Spencer pointed to the black scarf around the neck of each body. “It’s silk, apparently. It’s also not used as a weapon. None of them were strangled with the scarves. They were simply tied on afterwards. There was absolutely no point to it for the actual murder. No, this is significant to the Unsub.”

Remy looked at the photos and made himself look beyond the blood. His eyebrows furrowed as he leaned in. “What’s de actual cause of death?”

“They can’t accurately tell.” Spencer said with a sigh. “The torture is too severe. But, there are consistencies. .." Trailing off, Spencer stared at the board, not really seeing the images. His eyes had gone slightly distant. Smirking, Remy stepped back, settling against the edge of Scott’s desk. He looked over to see that Warren was gone and Jean was sitting in one of the chairs while Scott sat behind his desk. Both of them were looking at Remy. He grinned and looked back over at Spencer just in time to see the light click for the young doctor.

Comprehension lit Spencer’s face and he was moving, flipping the board once more so that it was back to the letters. He yanked a pen from his pocket and started to write. Remy let himself get comfortable and enjoy the show. Watching Spencer work, in a sense, was how Remy had first met the man and been attracted to him. There was just something immensely attractive about the genius when he lost himself in a puzzle.

He saw Spencer finish writing and start patting at his pockets. Knowing what he was reaching for, Remy pulled out his own cell and dialed Morgan’s number. Then he walked over and held the phone up to Spencer’s ear. He couldn’t resist laughing when Spencer jerked at the sound of Morgan’s voice and then reached up, taking the phone and talking animatedly about the code he’d cracked for them. Remy didn’t pay attention to the words. He hooked his hands into his back pockets and let himself enjoy watching Spencer once more.

“He’s quite enthusiastic about his work.” Jean said from her seat.

Remy backed up enough to sit on the edge of the desk again, but he left his eyes on his lover. “Dat he is.”

“Is he having a hard time adjusting to not working? Is that why he’s been spending so much time at the boathouse?”

“Sure he misses it. Who wouldn’t miss a job dey loved after having to leave it?” Finally turning, Remy looked over at Jean and Scott. “But mostly, Spencer misses de puzzles. He misses helping, _oui_ , but his mind works best when it has a puzzle. Part of his intelligence. He needs t’ings to keep his brain going a little. Been trying to convince him to write a book, you know? T’ink dere’s lots of t’ings he could write about dat de world could benefit from knowing.”

“I’m not entirely sure I could write a book, Rems.” Spencer interjected. He walked over to the desk and handed Remy his phone, kissing him briefly. “Thanks, by the way.”

“Y’r welcome, cher. And sure y’ could, if y’ put y’r mind to it. Don’t tell me y’ never thought about doing it.”

“Well, sure. Who hasn’t? There are a couple I’d love to write.” With a shake of his head, Spencer took another kiss. “We’ll discuss it later, Remy. I’ve disturbed Scott’s office enough for today.”

The sound of Scott clearing his throat drew all eyes toward him. He set a file down on the desk and folded his hands, resting them over top of it. “Actually, Spencer, I’m kind of glad you’re in here. I’ve got a bit of a problem and I’m told that you’re the person to talk to about this.”

One of Spencer’s eyebrows arched up. He shifted a little, slipping between Remy’s legs to lean into him. In return, Remy leaned into him, resting his head against his love and snuggling close. He closed his eyes as he heard Spencer ask “What was it you needed, Scott?”

“We’re having a bit of a problem with one of our halfway homes. With the funds they’re given, they should be able to comfortably operate, at least according to the last run through we made. Yet somehow they keep running short on things here and there. Some of the numbers in their books don’t seem to be adding up right.” Scott’s voice trailed off and Remy felt Spencer’s chuckle start low in his stomach. “So you essentially need an accountant to go over the books.” Spencer teased.

“Would you mind? You’ve got the best head for numbers of anyone I know and I was hoping that maybe you’d find what we aren’t seeing. It’s not like we can take in the books of a place that isn’t supposed to exist and go to a regular accountant.”

One of Spencer’s hands came up, idly stroking at Remy’s auburn locks. “It’s no problem. I wouldn’t mind at all, actually.”

“Oh, thank God.” Scott said. There was audible relief in his voice. “I mean, it’s not like we can’t pay what needs paid and such like that, but some things just don’t make sense and I don’t like thinking that we’re being cheated. I’ll get everything together and we’ll set you up in the spare office that’s across the hall from here. Would you mind starting on it tomorrow morning?”

“That’s fine. If everything’s in there waiting, I’ll just go right in come morning and get started on it. But for now, let me get this board cleaned up so you don’t have to stare at these pictures and then I’ll get out of your hair.”

That meant that he had to move. Remy sighed and loosened his grip on Spencer. “I’ll help y’ clean up, cher.” He offered. It wasn’t hard for him to see the slightly tender way Spencer was walking. He’d been on his feet quite a bit today and Remy could see that it was wearing on him just a little. But Spencer was way, way too independent to just let someone completely take care of him. So Remy did what he could. He got off the desk and helped to get the pictures picked up and the board put away, trying to subtly do more than Spencer so that it could be done faster.

When they were done, he hooked an arm around his partner’s waist. “Why don’t we go get something to eat? Den maybe we’ll settle down in de TV room f’ a while and Remy’ll rub y’r feet f’ y’, _mon cœur_.” He offered. The smile Spencer gave him was both amused and sweet. The young genius leaned in and gave him a kiss. “You know, I think I’ll take you up on that.”

Together, the two made their way out of Scott’s office, arms wrapped around one another. Scott watched them go, smiling. “You know, Spencer being here seems to have done Remy a world of good.” He told Jean. “I’ve never seen him this happy.”

“Spencer seems to be coming around too.” Jean agreed with him. “They make each other happy. Remy deserves this happiness.”

“Yeah, yeah he does.”


	7. Chapter 7

It was one month later when Spencer was sitting behind the desk of what had now seemed to become ‘his’ office at the mansion. Yet again, he was sifting through paperwork, putting together the numbers in his head and checking them against what he saw. Absently he wrote things out on the notepad near his right hand, trying to keep track of some things. At the same time he kept his eyes running over the paper in front of him.

A month ago when Scott had requested that Spencer look at the books to one of their halfway homes, the young genius had easily done as requested, spending a few days in the office he was being loaned and giving the books a thorough going over. In that process, he found quite a few things that were wrong and he brought them to Scott’s attention, as well as ways that they could shave off a bit here and there in their expenses. He advised him on where to change some of his shopping and what could be done to actually list the halfway home as its own place instead of being a hidden building. By doing that, it was enabling the place to be legit as well as earning them some government funding. That had tickled Scott to no end. “So we’re going to basically have the government fund a place for people they’d really like to just stamp out and destroy? I love it.” He’d declared.

From there, it seemed things had just grown. Scott and Charles both had asked Spencer if he’d mind going over other books of theirs to see if there was more he could do for them. The books for the actual schools and such were taken care of by Bobby and that was something that Spencer definitely didn’t want to step into. But he had no problem assisting them as acting as an accountant for the network of halfway homes. He’d been amazed that they were entrusting him with their finances this way and was determined to not make them regret it.

The more he looked at the books, the more places he saw that they were losing money. It amazed him that no one had seen it sooner. He’d already fixed three of the homes and set them on not only a better budget, but he’d helped get them better deals on the places that they bought supplies. He couldn’t believe how many ways they were getting screwed on things they bought.

A sudden shifting in his stomach drew his attention away from the numbers and towards his belly. His left hand automatically started to rub in response to the movement. He couldn’t help but smile. Just over the last week he’d started to feel the babies move. He hadn’t mentioned anything to Remy yet because, at first, he wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was a cliché, but he’d thought it was gas, or muscle twinges as his body adjusted to the additional weight, or a million other things. Then, in just the past two days, the feelings had grown and become a little stronger, leaving no doubt as to what they were. It wasn’t quite kicks that he felt yet. More, the twins seemed to be rolling around in there.

Thinking of the twins had Spencer settling back in his chair. He stretched his legs out under the desk and let himself just take a moment to relax. While his one hand continued to rub his stomach, he reached out with the other to pick up his ever present glass of juice. Again, just in the past few days, he’d found himself constantly wanting blueberry juice, ever since he’d had a glass at dinner in the mansion.

A glance at the clock showed him that it was almost time for his appointment with Hank. The doctor had him on weekly appointments and Spencer had just hit seventeen weeks yesterday. Today they’d go in, do the usual check-up, listen to the heartbeats, and then Spencer knew he’d have to endure yet another lecture on his lack of weight gain. He was getting better, really! Nausea rarely hit him anymore. It had been like a week since the last time he’d thrown up.

Another roll brought his attention back to his stomach. He looked down, unable to stop from smiling. There was absolutely no denying he was pregnant now. All of his weight gain seemed to be all belly. Remy absolutely _loved_ it. He radiated happiness every single time he got to sit and run a hand over Spencer’s stomach, something that he did constantly. Though Spencer wasn’t fond of others reaching out to touch his stomach, he had known that Remy would be very tactile with this pregnancy and it didn’t bother him at all. When they sat together, Remy’s hands often stroked over his stomach, or simply rested there.

His mind drifted as he stared at the wall of his office. They really needed to start picking up some things for the babies. They’d decided which room in the boathouse they wanted to use and Remy had cleared it out. Now they just had to figure out what they wanted to decorate it as. They could wait until they knew the genders and decorate it accordingly, or they could decorate in a gender neutral sort of way. Maybe a theme in there—something the babies might love. But what did children love? Spencer’s experience with kids was limited. He didn’t know what the average baby liked.

It worried him sometimes, thinking about what life was going to be like once the babies were born. Was he going to be a good Dad? Would he be able to give them the right kind of life? There were so many things that could go wrong. So many things he could _do_ wrong. Oh, he knew those were normal new-parent fears, but that didn’t make them easier to deal with. These two lives were going to be his and Remy’s responsibility. He wanted to make sure he did right by them.

One thing they would never lack in life was love. Already Spencer felt love for the two beings inside of him. He felt himself fall in love a little more every day.

“Don’t y’ just look like de picture of contentment?” Remy said warmly from the doorway.

Smiling a little wider, Spencer turned his chair, looking at the man that he loved. “Hey, baby.” The pet name slipped out without Spencer even intending it. He generally used a pet name for his partner only when he was feeling really sweet, or in intimate moments. He took another drink before setting his glass down. “Coming to get me for our appointment?”

“ _Oui_. Wasn’t sure y’d be watching de clock or not.”

As Remy walked into the room, Spencer couldn’t help but admire the man’s form. The artfully ripped jeans and the long sleeved black shirt with his usual trench coat. His auburn hair was pulled back in the braid he usually kept it in when he was training—which was where Spencer knew he’d been before he came here.

Right when Remy got to him, the twins seemed to push instead of roll this time, startling Spencer enough that he straightened just slightly in response to the push. His eyes traveled down. “Oh!” He exclaimed. A silly sort of smile curved his lips. “Your little ones are apparently deciding to be active today.” He said. A look at Remy’s face showed the older man’s shock and delight. Remy squatted down in front of him, one hand coming up to rest on his stomach. “Y’ can feel dem?” he asked reverently.

“I wasn’t sure at first, but the past couple days it’s been getting stronger. Today I’m positive. They’ve been mostly rolling around, I guess you’d call it. That’s the first time I’ve really felt one push at me.”

Leaning in close, Remy pressed a kiss to Spencer’s stomach, murmuring in Cajun softly. Love flowed over the link to Spencer, warming him even more inside. He sent a wave of love back. Then he tugged on Remy’s hand. “Come on. Let’s get down there before we end up late. I’d like to get this appointment done and over with.” He said teasingly.

Remy pressed one last kiss to his belly and then straightened up. “ _Mais_ , weekly lab visits. Sometimes I t’ink dat man is part vampire, yeah? Always taking more and more blood.” He gave a little shudder and wrinkled his nose. “I wonder bout dat _homme_. T’ink we need to get him up and out of de labs more often, _oui_? Show him dere’s more to life den de lab.”

“Good luck with that.” Spencer snorted. He braced his hands on his chair and tried to stand, only to find that he couldn’t quite get the angle he wanted. His stomach wasn’t really big enough to fully get in his way, but his center of gravity was off and he felt like he was learning how to balance for things all over again. He shifted his feet a little and adjusted his grip before finally pushing up off the chair. That had been something that had been steadily getting worse lately as well. After being snapped at more than once, Remy had learned to let Spencer make the attempt on his own before offering assistance.

On his feet, Spencer put a hand to his back and stretched just a little, trying to ease the ache there. When he straightened, Remy gave him a sympathetic look. “Want me to rub y’r back f’ y’ tonight, cher?” He offered.

“You really think I’d turn that down?” Spencer grinned at him. Before moving away from the desk, he reached down and grabbed his glass, intent on bringing it with him. It was still mostly full! He happily took a drink while moving his free hand and lacing it together with Remy’s. The two made their way from the room. “Man, Rems, we’ve got to get some more of this.” Looking at his glass, Spencer made a happy little sound. “It’s delicious. And, well, this was the last glass in the fridge.”

Remy squeezed his hand. “I’ll make a run to town later and get some f’ y’. Y’ t’ink about what else we might need and put it on a list f’ me, _d’accord_?”

They stepped inside the elevator and Remy pressed the button to take them down to the lower levels. While the doors were shutting, Spencer leaned over and kissed Remy long and hard. They broke apart and Spencer smiled at him. “You’re awfully good to me, Mr. LeBeau.”

“If dat’s what I get f’ picking up some juice, I’m gonna start bringing y’ some every day.” Remy teased him in a husky voice.

The elevator doors opened and Spencer smirked as he stepped out. He took another drink from his glass. “Not just juice, Rems. _This_ juice. That makes all the difference in the world.”

“ _Oui, mon cœur_. I’ll even get de same brand and everything. And I’ll make sure to get one f’ here and one f’ de house. How does dat sound?”

Pausing outside the doors to the Med Lab, Spencer grinned brightly at him. “I knew there was a good reason I love you.” He kissed him once more before stepping through the doors. Behind him, he heard Remy scoff at him. “I see how it is now, cher. Buy a man some juice and he professes love. Y’ gonna be loving on Logan if he goes and get y’ some juice, too?”

Eyes twinkling, Spencer winked at Hank, who was watching them with amusement from his desk. Then Spencer looked over his shoulder at Remy. “I told you. Not just any juice. _This_ juice.” He held up his glass and pointed to it. “It has to be this one. I don’t just fall for any man with any old juice. I have my morals, you know.”

“Oh, _excusez-moi_.”

Before they could continue, Hank shook his head and interrupted them, laughter in his words. “Shall we start the appointment, gentlemen?”

Spencer finished off the last of his juice before shrugging. “I suppose we could, seeing as how we’re here and such.” He said with a sigh. His smile grew as the other two laughed at him.

The appointment itself took no time at all. They were well used to the routine by now. Hank did a basic physical, drew blood, checked his stomach, listened to the heartbeat, all of those kinds of things. Then came the part of the appointment that always made Spencer sigh. Dressed again and sitting on the exam table with Remy beside him, Spencer got to listen to the lecture about his weight. Most of it he zoned out; it wasn’t like he wasn’t trying! But putting weight on had always been an issue for him. He made agreeable sounds, though, and promised to try and eat more.

With that past, Hank made a notation on his chart and then settled back in his chair. “So far, everything seems to be progressing well, Spencer. I must say, you really do seem to be sailing well through this pregnancy. Your morning sickness is completely gone, you say you have no heartburn, you’re not constantly fatigued. Honestly, you seem to be doing better than most women.”

Spencer grinned at that and looked at Remy. “You hear that? I’m doing _fine_. I told you that you worry too much.”

“I warned y’ at de start dat I was gonna worry f’ y’, cher. So don’t y’ be giving me none of y’r lip, yeah.” Remy said before sticking out his tongue.

Laughing, Hank shook his head at their antics. The two were a constant source of amusement to anyone who spent any length of time with them. “Now that we’ve finished your typical physical, I’d like to hear how you’ve been feeling this past week. Any troubles I should be aware of? Has anything changed for you?”

“No serious troubles.” Resting a hand on the top of his stomach, Spencer let his other hand rest on Remy’s thigh, thinking about his answer. “My lower back seems to ache more and more, but I make sure to sit carefully and to not stay in one position for too long. I periodically get up from the desk and stretch. Um, I seem to be losing my sense of balance. It takes me a bit to shift right to stand up and sometimes my balance seems to be less than it should. Or, when I stand, I get dizzy. But I’ve learned how to adjust some and to rise slowly and carefully to minimize the problem.” He paused, a smile starting. “Also, I’m feeling them move. Shifting and now pushing a little bit. I wasn’t sure before, but I’m positive now.”

“That’s wonderful! It’s a good sign. As they grow stronger and steadier, you’ll need to monitor the kicks.” Hank advised. He looked over to Remy and gave him a kind smile. “Give it a few weeks and you should be able to feel it as well. The carrier always feels it first until they grow a little stronger. Soon, you’ll most likely be able to _see_ the kicks.”

Spencer wrinkled his nose. “Doesn’t that just sound pleasant? You’re so very reassuring, Dr. McCoy.”

“Glad to be of assistance, Spencer.” Was the cheeky reply. Then Hank turned slightly serious. “There is one thing I’d like to talk with you two about before you leave my lab today.” At the worried looks the two suddenly wore, Hank hurried to explain. “No, no, it’s nothing serious! What I wanted to discuss was your living arrangements.”

“ _Quoi_?” Remy asked with confusion. Spencer just sighed and waited; he had a feeling he knew what was coming. He’d actually been waiting to see how long it would take before this topic came up.

Hank set his clipboard in his lap and looked steadily at them. “Your due date is set for March, Spencer. That means that some of the most awkward stages of your pregnancy are going to be in a season of bad weather. Already we’re in October. As the rain increases and the snow arrives later, it’s going to become risky for you to be trudging back and forth between the house and the boathouse multiple times a day. There’s always a risk of a fall. I’d like it if you two would think about moving into a room here at the mansion for the duration of the pregnancy. Once it’s done, you can move back to the boathouse. But for now I think it would be best for you to be here. Not only so you aren’t walking in those conditions, but so that if anything does happen, you don’t have to try to make your way to the house. You’ll be here and therefore have easier access to immediate medical attention.”

Turning his head, Remy cocked his head at Spencer, the question obvious on his face. Spencer sighed and shrugged. “I can handle it, if I have to.” Something came to him and he chewed on his lip, contemplating if it was worth asking.

“ _Quoi_ , Spencer?”

He wouldn’t know unless he asked. Shyly looking at the Cajun, Spencer hesitantly asked “Can we bring our bed? I know it’ll be a pain to move, but it’s so comfortable and, well, it’s so hard to find anything comfortable. I mean, I know it would be silly to bring it up here when there are already perfectly fine beds…” A hand over his mouth cut off his ramble before it could really get going. After letting go, Remy leaned in and kissed him. “I’ll get de guys to help me move it on up. Y’ mind taking m’ old room? De only neighbor we’d have den would be Logan.”

“That’s perfectly fine.” Happy, Spencer shifted, tucking his head against Remy’s shoulder. “Thank you, baby.”

“Anytime. Now, is dat everything, Henri?”

The gentle doctor nodded at him. “It is, my friend. We shall meet again in a week at the same time.”

Just as Remy finished helping Spencer off the table, the Cajun snapped taunt, as did Hank. Spencer knew the look on their faces and knew they were receiving a mental call from Charles. He knew what that meant. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to Remy’s lips before patting his backside. “Go on.” He told him. Inside, he felt the same pang he always did when his lover left for these missions. He tried to keep casual, but he couldn’t resist adding “Come home safe.”

Remy grabbed the front of Spencer’s shirt and yanked him close for a kiss full of love and passion and heat. “Y’ keep safe while I’m gone. Eat something, _mon amour_.” One last kiss. “ _Je t’aime_.”

“I love you too.” Keeping his worry locked tight so that Remy wouldn’t feel it, Spencer stood steady as he watched both Hank and Remy race from the lab. For a long moment he just stood there, one hand resting on his stomach, gathering his composure. When he was sure he was steady once more, he set out from the lab to go upstairs, maybe find himself something to eat and then get back to work. Maybe that would be enough of a distraction to hold him over until his lover came home.

CXCX

After making himself a tray of food, Spencer took it with him into his office and settled down in his chair once more. He was reading through an expense report and chewing away on his food when there was a knock on his door. A moment later, Bishop stuck his head in. “Spencer, there are some people here to see you. Would you like me to send them in?”

People here to see him? That had Spencer straightening in his seat and setting his papers down. Who would be here to see him? They wouldn’t have made it past Bishop if they were trouble, though. “Yes, that’s fine. Thank you, Bishop.”

Instead of having a few minutes to gather himself, Spencer saw the door be pushed wider and a second later people came walking in. Instantly a smile stretched over Spencer’s face. He lit up as first Aaron, then Dave, Emily, Morgan and finally even Garcia came walking in. Taking hold of his chair, Spencer managed to get himself upright on the first try. He quickly made his way around the desk toward the person closest—Garcia. “Holy shit! What are you guys doing here?” He exclaimed. With a happy little laugh, he embraced Garcia, holding her close for a minute. As soon as they separated, he pulled Emily in for a hug. Then he was swept from one person to the next and was being hugged by everyone.

Aaron was the one to answer his question. “We had a case that we arrived for this morning. They ended up not needing us. The Unsub turned himself only hours after our arrival.”

“So we decided to finish off the rest of our day visiting you here before we have to go back home.” Dave finished.

Moving forward, Morgan grinned at him. “I got time off, though. I was planning on coming to see you after this case anyways. So you’re stuck with me for the next four days, pretty boy.”

Spencer couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Well, I guess I’m in trouble, then.” He joked. Then his grin grew a little smug. “You’ve got perfect timing. I’m sure Remy and I can put you to work. We just had a prenatal appointment with Hank and he wants us to move into a room in the mansion until the babies are born, so Remy’s going to get our bed brought up here. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the help. You know, seeing as how _I_ can’t help him and such.”

“Yeah, yeah, play that card up, kid.” Morgan snorted. He was still smiling, though. “So how’re you and babies doing? Everything going ok?”

“Everything checked out. All my tests are coming back fine and their heartbeats are strong. I’ve started to feel them moving, too. No one else can yet, but I am.”

Despite his words, Garcia squealed and moved forward, hands going to his belly. He grimaced and tried not to let his irritation show as she rubbed at his belly. “You look so cute, Reid! You’re all belly, I swear! Look at this! Hello, babies. Hello! It’s your Aunty Penny!”

He tried to remind himself that she hadn’t seen him for a while, that she’d always been a tactile person. Really, he did try. In the end, irritation won out, though. “Garcia, um...I sort of have this rule, see…”

“Rule, sweetie?” she asked him. Her hands stayed on his belly.

“If you didn’t put it there, then don’t touch it.”

Surprised, she jerked upright, hands quickly drawing back. Everyone else in the room laughed out loud at them both. Aaron had a wide grin on his face that typically wasn’t there. “Hayley was the same way.” He told Spencer. “One time someone in the grocery store reached out and rubbed her stomach and she told them to either remove their hand or she’d break it.”

“I can’t explain it, I just…prefer people keep their hands to themselves.” Pausing, Spencer shrugged, his left hand going to its usual resting spot on the top of his baby bump. “Plus, I’ve generally got my hand there anyways.” All of a sudden he remembered his manners and realized that they were all still standing there. “Oh! I’m sorry, guys. Please, have a seat. Get comfortable. Would any of you like anything to drink? I’ve got bottled water in the mini fridge over there.”

“I’ll hand them out, Reid.” Emily offered. She smiled as she walked past him and brushed a hand over his shoulder as she’d done plenty of times before. The familiar gesture had him smiling even more.

After he snagged his tray of food, Spencer made his way to the couch. On the end of the room opposite his desk he had a couch, a coffee table, another couch, and three chairs. Aaron and Dave took one couch while Emily and Garcia took two of the chairs—after Emily handed out water to everyone. Morgan grinned and sat down beside Spencer. He leaned in and shamelessly looked at what was on Spencer’s tray. “What on earth are you eating, kid?”

“Pickle slices wrapped with cheese, salami and ham.” Spencer answered promptly. “And I ate this before I got pregnant, so don’t give me any of that craving nonsense. These aren’t a craving.” But talking about cravings brought to the forefront the actual craving he did have. “Ugh. I hope Remy can stop off on the way home and get my juice. _That_ , I am craving.”

“Where’s Remy at?” Dave asked him. “I was sure he’d be practically glued to you.”

Looking down, Spencer set the tray on the coffee table, his earlier worry coming back. “He’s working. They got called out just a bit ago at the end of my appointment.”

Morgan reached out and took hold of his hand, giving it a squeeze. “So, tell us all about things. How’ve you been? How’re the babies? Anything good happening?”

Surrounded by his friends, Spencer let himself relax, pushing down some of the worry. He couldn’t make it disappear, but he distracted himself with the company of the friends that were as close to him as family. In their company, he smiled and relaxed and let himself have a great time for the time that they were there.


	8. Chapter 8

It was hours later that Spencer heard the familiar sounds that signified the return of the others to the mansion. Some of the knot inside seemed to ease a little. They were back. He felt his shoulders relax just a little, losing some of the tension in them. Unable to resist, he reached along the link he and Remy shared, seeking to feel him. He was close enough now that they should be able to. But he found the link blocked. Remy wasn’t gone, he had just pulled his shields up strong enough that Spencer only had the vaguest sense of him.

The other BAU members had already had to leave to fly back home, so only Morgan was with him as Spencer stopped in the middle of the hallway. He closed his eyes and focused on that link, trying to read what little he could, but Remy’s shields were too strong. That brought the worry back tenfold. Remy only shielded from him when he was hurting or when his emotions were really, really strong. Without saying a word to Morgan, Spencer turned and headed to the elevator.

When they stepped inside, Morgan put a hand on Spencer’s shoulder. “Reid, what is it? What’s going on?”

“They’re back and I can’t feel Remy.” Spencer snapped the words harder than he’d intended. His hands protectively came to rest over his stomach. Remy was fine. He had to be fine. He just had to be.

The doors were barely open when Spencer moved quickly out of them. The halls were empty but for one single person. Spencer didn’t even stop to think about that person being Bobby or to bother with worrying about how Bobby was going to act toward him. He rushed straight toward him. “Bobby!”

The mutant froze for just a second before continuing to walk on as if Spencer hadn’t said a word. That didn’t stop Spencer, though. He called his name again right before he reached him. Grabbing his arm, he stopped the other man, ignoring the hard glare that was shot his way. “Bobby, where’s Remy? What happened?”

“Let go of me.” Bobby practically snarled.

Spencer didn’t even flinch. “Please, Bobby. Where is Remy at?”

With a huge tug, Bobby yanked his arm free, making Spencer stumble. It was only Morgan’s hands that managed to keep Spencer from stumbling down to the ground. With a glare as icy as his namesake, Bobby said “The fool got hurt and he’s in the Med Lab. Maybe this’ll teach him not to be such a damn show off. Now, keep your fucking hands off of me, you disgusting little freak.”

Worry transformed into outright fear. If Morgan hadn’t already been holding him up, Spencer was sure he would have melted down to the ground. He didn’t even pay attention to the insult at the end, or to the way that Morgan snapped out “Hey! Watch your damn mouth!” at Bobby. All Spencer could think of were the words ‘the fool got hurt’. He had to get to the Med Lab and see Remy and see that he was ok. Panic clawed its way at Spencer’s insides, battling behind the shields he had tightly up. He didn’t want Remy worry about _him_ because of his emotions.

Spencer started to move, gripping tightly to Morgan’s arm. He barely registered his feet carrying him to the Med Lab, or even inside. His world was focused on one thing and one thing only. His gaze moved over the occupants of the room, quickly finding and settling on the one that mattered most. Half of him wanted to moan at the sight of blood on Remy’s face. The other half registered that all that blood seemed to come from a cut on Remy’s head that was stitched up already and was being wiped clean by Hank. The Cajun sat on one of the exam beds in just his jeans, scowling down at his lap.

Relief had his knees going weak. Again, Morgan was forced to support his weight. At the same time, the others noticed their entrance. Logan was the first to see him and his muttered “Shit” drew the attention of the others. All eyes moved to where Spencer stood, leaning heavily on Morgan’s arms, the older man very obviously supporting him.

Like a flash Remy was pushing himself off the bed. He ignored Hank’s protests and slipped around the hands that reached for him. His eyes were locked on Spencer as he made his way over. “Hey, cher, it’s ok. Everyt’ings fine, yeah.” The reassuring words flowed over Spencer, wrapping around him. When Remy got close he reached out and gathered Spencer into his arms, turning his head so that the bloody side of his face wasn’t touching his lover.

Spencer simply melted into Remy’s arms. He slid his own arms around Remy’s waist, letting his hands splay against his back, clinging to him and drawing in the heat and scent that was his Cajun. “You’re ok.” He murmured against the curve of Remy’s neck.

The arms around him tightened, one hand rubbing at his back while the other cupped the back of his head. “I’m fine, cher. Just a cut on my head, dat’s all. Y’ know me, Spencer. I told y’ I was gonna come home to y’. Aint lied to y’ yet, have I? Don’t want y’ worrying so hard f’ me.”

“I wasn’t that worried at first.” Not bothering to move, Spencer kept his eyes closed and clung just a little tighter, letting Remy’s touch chase away the last remnants of his fear. “I knew you were back, but I couldn’t feel you, so I was a little worried. I came down to find out what was going on and I caught Bobby. He told me you’d been hurt and were here and that mixed with not being able to feel you, well, you only shield me out when you’re feeling too strong or you’re hurt.”

He felt Remy’s cheek rub lightly against the side of his head. “I didn’t even realize I’d shut y’ out, _mon cœur_. Was just trying to lock down so de stitches didn’t bother me. Y’ know me and de lab. But I’m fine. I’m right here with y’ and I’m fine now. _D’accord_?”

“Ok.”

Keeping an arm around Spencer’s shoulders, Remy made his way back over to the table so he could finish getting cleaned up. While he did that, Logan moved over to stand with Morgan. “Hey, Morgan. Didn’t know you were coming to visit.” The feral man said.

Morgan’s eyes were locked on Spencer for the moment. “Yeah, we all showed up and surprised the kid. The others had to leave to go home, but I’ve got a few days of vacation to stay here.” Temper had Morgan turning his head to look at Logan. “By the way, what the hell is this Bobby kid’s problem?”

“What did he do?” Logan asked sharply. He kept his voice pitched low, eyes flickering over to the others before moving back to Morgan.

The darker man fought to keep his voice low as well. “Well first, he jerked his arm away from Reid when Reid touched him, almost knocking the kid over. Then, Reid just asked where Remy was and the guy just threw out that Remy was in here, hurt, and didn’t say a word about him being ok. He just let Reid think the worst. And then he called him a disgusting little freak. I don’t know who the hell this guy thinks he is, but mutant powers or not, I’ll kick his ass if he talks to Reid like that again.”

“Damn. You leave Icecube to me, Morgan. I’ll handle him. And don’t mention this to Gumbo. The last thing we need is for him going out and trying to kill Drake.” A quick glance showed that Remy was cleaned up now and that Hank was taking a look at Spencer while scolding him about stress. Logan nodded and then looked back to Morgan. “Keep an eye on them for me. I’ll meet you guys upstairs for dinner.”

CXCX

It didn’t take Logan long to find Bobby. He followed the man’s scent trail upstairs and outside. Luckily there was a break in the day’s rain so Bobby’s scent didn’t wash away once he went outside. Logan followed it across the lawn and down to the lake. Temper begged to be set free; the urge to defend those that he considered in his ‘pack’—especially one that was _breeding_ —was strong. But the other part of Logan, the part that considered Bobby a friend, the human part of him, had enough control to resist the urge to pound the kid into the ground.

On silent feet he made his way up to him. Just as silent, he stopped right at Bobby’s side, pulling a cigar from his pocket. He paid no attention to the way Bobby jumped when Logan lit the cigar; he didn’t even feel satisfaction at startling his prey. He simply stood there and puffed the cigar to life as Bobby scowled at him. “Damn, Logan! Why do you gotta sneak up on people like that?”

Logan shrugged and smirked. “It’s funny.”

“You have a twisted sense of humor, then.”

That had Logan snorting. “Don’t think you’ve got much room to talk, bub.” It was well known that Bobby was the resident prankster in the house.

For a little bit the two just stood there, Logan calmly smoking his cigar. Despite what others thought, he could be patient if he so chose. A hunter knew how to be patient. So he stayed quiet and smoked and waited for Bobby to speak first. It didn’t take very long. After only a little bit of standing there, Bobby shifted his weight uncomfortably and went on the defensive. “I know why you’re here and I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Squashing the flash of anger, Logan drew on his cigar. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” Bobby crossed his arms over his chest and shifted just a little further away from Logan. “I didn’t hurt him.”

“No, you didn’t. Not really.” Pausing, Logan cast a look to the side. “But you almost did.”

“What?”

“According to Morgan, you almost knocked the runt over when you jerked away from him. You imagine what a fall would do to him?” This time Logan turned fully to look at Bobby. “What’s going on, bub? You aint never been this cold to people you care about and you and Spencer were always friends. This can’t just be because he’s pregnant. What the hell is going on here?”

Bobby scowled and took another defensive step back. “It’s exactly because he’s pregnant. He’s a freak, Logan. And there’s nothing that says that I have to like him.”

“No, there aint. But there’s no excuse for being an ass, Icecube. Maybe ya didn’t hurt him physically, but ya hurt him inside. You told him Gumbo was hurt without even telling him he was ok. You just let him get scared as hell. That aint like you. You’re not that kind of guy.”

It looked for just a second like Bobby would melt a little. Then his face hardened back up once more. “He’s fine, isn’t he? The freak didn’t get hurt by it. I’m not going to apologize for not reassuring him and holding his hand. Now, I’m really in the mood to be alone right now, Logan.” He started to take off away from Logan when a firm hand grabbed his arm and held him in place.

Being patient and trying to understand was one thing; putting up with someone’s shit was another. Logan held Bobby in place and snarled at him. “I’m trying to be your friend and help you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass, Drake. That kid aint done nothing to you to deserve your shit. I suggest you watch your damn mouth when you talk about him.” Releasing Bobby’s arm, Logan glared. “And you better hope that the Cajun don’t find out about the way you treated him. Trust me, he won’t be anywhere near as nice as me.” That said, he turned and made his way back up toward the mansion before he said or did anything he might regret. No matter what went down, Bobby was still a kid in Logan’s books. He couldn’t hurt a kid.

CXCX

Dinner was a happy affair. With a mission well completed and no casualties, the group had a reason to celebrate. That good mood carried over after dinner and into the TV room where, surprisingly, everyone settled in together, even the Professor. Conversations flew around the room, more than one seeming to happen at the same time. Logan and Morgan stood together, discussing the use of different styles of combat training. Warren and Betsy were talking with Rogue and Jean, laughing at some story that Rogue was telling.  Hank was at one of the couches with Bishop and Kurt, carrying on a conversation that was far more technical than most of the room could understand. From Remy and Spencer’s spot on the loveseat, Remy was turned to one side, deep in discussion with Storm about the pumpkins that were being grown for Halloween. On the other side, Spencer was turned toward Scott and Charles, discussing the latest information he had on the Seattle halfway home. Though the two were turned apart, they stayed touching; Remy’s hand rested on Spencer’s stomach, with Spencer’s hand over top his.

At some point, Jubilee’s attention was caught by the couple on the loveseat and she couldn’t help but grin at them. “You two are too cute.” She said in a voice that was loud enough to catch the attention of a few people. When Remy and Spencer both turned to look at her, one grinning while the other blushed, Jubilee let out a laugh. “And you’re like total opposites sometimes, I swear. How on earth did y’all end up getting together?”

“Persistence.” Remy answered promptly. His answer made the room laugh. “Y’all t’ink Remy’s joking, but he aint. Had to be persistent to get dis _homme_ to even take me seriously!”

“ _I’m_ joking.” With a roll of his eyes, Spencer poked him.

Remy looked over at him and gave him a heart-stopping grin. “Bout what, cher?”

He poked Remy again and rolled his eyes. “ _Cul_.” He insulted him.

Mock hurt filled Remy’s face. “ _Mais_ , cher, y’ wound me! Insulting me, and in m’ own language too! What’s dis world coming to?”

Amidst the laughter of the room, Morgan called out to them. He leaned against the wall and grinned when the couple looked to him. “You’ve gotta give us more details, Remy. None of us could ever get more out of Reid than the fact that he met you at a lecture he gave.”

“Y’r kidding!” Remy exclaimed. He looked over at Spencer once more, who was trying to cover his face with one hand to hide his flaming cheeks. “Now dat aint very nice, cher. Well, I’ll fix dat. Everyone just settle in and I’ll tell y’ bout de first time I met dis _homme_.”

To Spencer’s mortification, the whole room had gone quiet and everyone had eagerly settled in to listen. “I had no idea we were this interesting.” Spencer grumbled. He resigned himself to the story being told. Feeling ornery and wanting to be comfortable, he turned his body so that he could lift his feet into his partner’s lap. Remy didn’t even look down, but he brought his hands to his lap, pulling Spencer’s shoes off and tossing them to the floor before starting to rub at his ankles.

With a grin, Remy started his story. “It’s like dis. I was on a mission with Wolvie up in Washington and we’d just got all done with t’ings and I was bored. So, I went wandering round. Was a college town, dis place. WSU was dere. Well, wandered in and saw dey was having a lecture on geographical profiling. Sounded interesting, so I went in.”

“You were bored and decided to go to a college lecture?” Jubilee said skeptically.

Laughter danced in Remy’s voice. “ _Oui, petit_. I like to learn t’ings, yeah. But anyways, I went in and got a seat toward de back so dat I could hide a lil better. Got in just as t’ings was starting. I looked up to de front and saw dis young man standing dere. _Mais_ , he looked so nervous! But he was awfully _beau_. I thought he was just some assistant. Y’ imagine how surprised I was when he walked up to de podium and said his name was SSA Dr. Spencer Reid?”

“I get that a lot.” Spencer sighed out. “And I was nervous. I hate standing up and giving lectures. They always make me feel sick.”

“Y’ started out real nervous, but y’ lost it as y’ got into what y’ was saying.” Remy reassured him. He winked at the room. “What he had to say was interesting, but I was a lil more interested in watching him, you know? Got up and moved down almost to de front of de room. Den I settled in and watched as he told us all about how geographical profiling works. I sat dere and watched him de whole lecture. _Mais_ , it wasn’t no love at first sight like people talk about, but it was definitely lust at first sight, _oui_?”

Again, more laughter. They were surprised when Charles asked the next question. “How did it progress from watching a lecture to dating?”

Remy looked over at the Professor with surprise, but he smiled at the memory the question brought to him. “I waited till de lecture was done and I went up and asked him if I could ask a few questions.”

The smile Spencer wore was warm as he too remembered. “I was beyond flustered. Of course I’d noticed him while I was lecturing. How could I not? He was a gorgeous distraction. I couldn’t gauge much from him because I had my shields up tight. Empathy can be a pain when you’re in a crowded room like that so I’d shielded tightly before I started the lecture.”

“Which meant m’ charm wasn’t working neither.” Remy said with a grumble. “And de _homme_ wasn’t catching on to me flirting with him. I tried to up de flirting a little and Spencer got skittish, made excuses and left.”

“You ran away?” Morgan laughed out. “Oh, man, I can totally see that.”

Spencer gave him a glare. “Shut up, Morgan.” He settled down a little further into the love seat, not even noticing that he was pouting. “I was nervous, ok?”

“Y’ was.” Remy agreed. He leaned over, kissing Spencer’s lips briefly. “But I got y’ in de end, _non_? Went back to every lecture he gave dat week.” He told the rest of the room. “Took me all week, but on Friday I finally got him to start flirting back with me and to agree to go have some lunch. De rest, as dey say, is history.”

Just as Spencer started to input something, his cell phone rang. He had to stand up just to get into his pocket and pull it out. When he saw who it was, he grinned and told the room “Excuse me for a minute” before taking off toward the door, opening his phone and answering it as he moved. “Hey! It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you. How’re you doing?”

Since he was already up, Spencer decided to go grab himself something to drink from the kitchens. At least, that was the plan. But when the person on the phone replied to his greeting, Spencer stopped completely at the angry tone. “Don’t y’ sweet talk me, y’ menace.” Bella Donna Boudreaux snapped at him. “Y’ got some explaining t’ do! Just cause I let y’ date m’ husband don’t mean y’ just get t’ leave me outta de loop, Spencer Reid!”

“What?” Spencer’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’re you talking about, Belle?”

“Y’ know damn well what I’m talking about! Dere better be a damn good reason dat neither Remy nor y’ called t’ tell me bout dem _bébés_!”

Everything inside of Spencer went completely still. For a moment he couldn’t find his voice. Remy hadn’t told Belle about the babies yet? But…but why? He couldn’t understand it. This wasn’t something that Remy would keep from her. “He hasn’t told you?” He croaked out.

“I knew it.” Belle crowed furiously. “I knew _y’_ wouldn’t keep somet’ing like dis from me! Dat _connard_!”

Hurt was starting to replace the numbness. “Why wouldn’t he tell you?”

“Dat’s a damn good question.”

And like the flick of a switch, hurt transformed to anger. “One that I plan on finding out the answer to.” He snapped. “Hold on one second, Belle. We’re going to get our answer right now.”

Temper carried him right back into the TV room. He ignored the sets of eyes that turned toward him. Remy was in discussion with Scott about something and didn’t immediately turn at his lover’s entrance. Almost snarling, Spencer tightly gripped his phone and threw it straight at Remy. It connected with the Cajun’s chest and bounced down to land in his lap. Remy jumped at the impact, glaring down at the phone and then up at Spencer “What de hell, Spencer?”

Spencer met Remy glare for glare. “There’s someone that wants to talk to you.” He snapped at the older man. “She’s got a question she’d like answered. I think I’d like to hear the answer too.”

Cautious, Remy picked up the phone, eyes staying on Spencer the whole time. “ _Bonjour_?” he said hesitantly. Almost instantly he winced and pulled the phone away from his ear slightly. Then he was scrambling to talk. “ _Merde_.  It’s not what y’ t’ink, cher. I promise, I’ll call y’ back and explain it all. _Oui, oui_. _Je t’aime_.” Snapping the phone shut, Remy rose, hands going out to either side. “Just take a deep breath, Spencer.” He started out in a firm voice. “Y’r overreacting to dis. Wasn’t intentional, cher .T’ings just been busy around here, yeah?”

 _That_ was his excuse? “So busy that you couldn’t even call your wife to tell her we’re having a baby?”

Neither one of them paid attention to the few in the room that were shocked by the word wife. Remy crossed his arms defensively over his chest. “Like y’ got any room to talk, Spencer! Y’ written to y’r Mere bout dis? Y’ set up to go fly and see her? Does she know bout dis at all?”

“That’s entirely different! I’m lucky if my mother is even coherent when I talk to her or go see her. Belle is perfectly capable of understanding you when you talk to her! If I’d known you hadn’t told her, I would have!”

The couple moved, standing behind the couch now, at either end. It took everyone else in the room out of the middle. “ _Merde_ , y’r acting like I done dis deliberately!” Frustrated, Remy glared even harder. “I didn’t f’get on purpose, me! Just didn’t t’ink bout telling her, dat’s all. Get y’r britches outta a bunch and chill.”

Spencer’s jaw dropped open. “Excuse me?” he snapped out. Without thinking, he grabbed the nearest thing—which just happened to be a book—and threw it at him. Remy caught it before it would have hit him in the head. “How dare you stand there and tell me to get my _britches_ out of a bunch. You want to tell me to chill?” He grabbed another item off the side table, a paperweight, and threw that as well, satisfied when Remy caught it but wasn’t able to stop it from hitting his stomach some and making him grunt.

“Dr. Reid!” Charles called out firmly. “That is enough! I will not have this kind of fighting here!”

A few people in the room winced, knowing better than to step into an argument between these two. Others simply gaped; they had never seen Spencer this furious before. The genius shocked them even more when he turned his glare toward Charles. “You’re telling me that you’d be perfectly content with knowing that your partner magically _forgot_ to tell his wife that he’d gotten you pregnant? Apparently this is perfectly ok, is it?”

“I f’got, Spencer! _Bon Dieu_ , y’r acting like I beat y’ or something!” Frustration tinged Remy’s words. “I’m gonna be in enough trouble with dat _femme_. Y’ gonna give me de cold shoulder here too? I told y’, I didn’t mean to f’get! She knows now, don’t she?”

“Only because she called me!” Spencer shouted.

“Dat’s it.” Without any more warning than that, Remy closed the distance between them, reaching out when he got close and grabbing the front of spencer’s shirt. He gave a firm tug and yanked Spencer against him, slamming their lips together in a heated kiss, cutting off the protest that had been building on Spencer’s lips. At first Spencer pushed against him, clearly trying to get free. Then the room watched as he practically melted. His arms came up, winding around Remy’s neck, and the tension drained from him. When Remy pulled back, Spencer was almost panting, his eyes sparked with an entirely different light then they’d been before. “Cheater.” Spencer mumbled.

“ _Oui_.” There was no shame in Remy’s voice. He gave him one final, soft kiss. “Now, go on, y’ _petit allée chat_. Y’ go have a seat and I’ll go get us something to drink and take care of Belle. I’ll keep it short, I promise.”

“You better.”

Remy left the room and Spencer turned around, looking at the group of people that were just staring, most of them wearing grins. His cheeks heated and he chewed on his lip, one hand coming up to rest over his stomach in a nervous sort of way. “Uh, hi.”

That broke the quiet of the room. Everyone started to laugh at the same time. Morgan walked over, slinging an arm around Spencer’s shoulders and leading him toward the love seat. “Lord, pretty boy, don’t ever change.” He teased.


	9. Chapter 9

Morgan stayed with them down at the boathouse that night, insisting that he’d be perfectly fine on their couch. He reminded Spencer that he’d slept on couches plenty of times and it wasn’t going to hurt him to do it for a few nights. Seeing as how it was already late by the time they got to the boathouse, Spencer hadn’t argued. He’d been too tired. Instead, he’d simply retrieved some blankets for him and set him up before letting Remy usher him upstairs and into bed.

Sleep didn’t ever last as long as it used to, though. Spencer was up twice to use the restroom. The final time, he saw it was already six am. No real point in going back to bed. Remy would be getting up soon anyways. After taking care of his morning rituals, Spencer put on a pair of pajama pants and pulled his robe over his night shirt—that same shirt of Remy’s that he’d stolen so long ago. On silent feet he made his way out of the room and down the hall, his plan to head to the kitchen and maybe start a pot of coffee for the others and find himself something to drink. But his attention caught on their soon-to-be nursery as he passed it by.

After a moment’s debate, Spencer backtracked and went into the room. It was completely empty at the moment; even the walls were bare. He slipped his hand into his robe pockets as he tried to picture what they’d do to the room. Really, they needed to start work on this soon. Just a few weeks and he’d be halfway through his pregnancy. They needed to have things ready for when the children arrived. As if to agree, he felt that fluttering sensation in his stomach. One hand came out to rest on his belly.

He looked at the white walls and tried to think of what kind of theme he wanted for the room. Not knowing the gender of the children, he couldn’t pick anything that was too boyish or too girly. Or, he could simply wait a couple more weeks and find out the gender. Heck, Hank could probably tell them next week if he asked, though the results were more accurate after about the twentieth week. And there was no guarantee that the children would cooperate and allow their little ‘parts’ to be seen.

There was the soft sound of movement out in the hallway that alerted Spencer to his lover’s coming at about the same time that he felt that warm, sleepy feeling on the link. He didn’t bother turning around, simply stood and rubbed at the flutters in his stomach, waiting. Sure enough, a moment later Remy stepped up behind him, arms slipping around him. Remy rested his hands on Spencer’s stomach and his chin on his shoulder, lightly kissing the side of his neck. “ _Bonjour, mon cœur._ Y’r up and about early.”

The sleepy rasp of Remy’s voice had Spencer smiling. He shifted his hands so that they rested over top of Remy’s. “I had to get up and use the restroom. Then I figured I might as well stay up.” He turned his head just enough to rub his and Remy’s cheeks together. “I was on my way to get coffee started for you and Morgan when I got distracted by this room. We need to figure out something to do with it soon.”

“Mm, _oui_.” Remy murmured. He rocked them slightly, the gesture soothing.

Those flutters grew a little stronger and Spencer shifted a little and chuckled. At Remy’s “ _Quoi_?” he told his partner “They’re moving, but just lightly this morning. It feels like little flutters in my stomach.”

Remy chuckled and started to rub his hands. “ _Mon petit papillons_.” He said fondly.

“ _Papillons_?”

“Butterflies, cher. My little butterflies.”

A smile curved Spencer’s lips. “Oh.” He settled back in Remy’s arms once more. “I like that.”

Happy, warm and content where he was, Spence let his eyes drift over the room once more. The window on the far side of the room was going to be perfect for sitting and reading stories with the kids; it had a built in window seat. “You think you can make a lock for the window so they won’t be able to open it as they get bigger?” Spencer asked. He didn’t like the idea of the twins being able to open it.

“Sure enough, cher. Dat won’t take much at all. Some latches at de top so we can open it, but dey won’t be able to.”

“Good, good.” That took one thing off his mental list. Cocking his head, he slanted a look sideways. “Have you thought about whether or not you want to find out if they’re boys or girls? Or one of each?”

Surprise had Remy’s eyebrows going up. “ _Non_ , I hadn’t thought about dat. Just been happy knowing dat de three of y’ are safe, yeah. Did y’ want to find out?”

“I’m not sure.” They went back to their rocking for a little bit as Spencer thought about the question. Eventually he spoke again, voicing his thoughts out loud. “It would make it easier on us to plan things out if we knew.”

“I t’ink we should. One, cause, well, cause I’m nosey.” Remy said cheekily. He chuckled and nipped at Spencer’s ear. “And I know y’ like to plan t’ings out, cher. Y’r such an organized soul.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” With a soft smile, Spencer finally turned himself, wanting to hug his lover properly. It felt nice to be tucked against him. The good morning kiss he got from him was great as well. “I love you, Remy LeBeau.”

Remy kissed him once more. “ _Je t’aime aussi,_ Spencer Reid. Now, come on. Let’s go get y’ some breakfast.”

Together, the two made their way downstairs.

CXCX

The sounds and smells of breakfast cooking were enough to rouse Morgan from the couch. He made his way toward the kitchen, yawning as he went, and found Remy cooking at the stove and Spencer kicked back in a chair with his laptop on the table in front of him. The young doctor was sipping at a cup of juice and looking intently at whatever was on the laptop. He looked up at the sound of Morgan’s footsteps, though, and gave him a smile. “Good morning, Morgan. Coffee’s on.”

Remy cast a smile over his shoulder. “Breakfast should be another five minutes, cher. Y’ just go on and get y’r coffee and have a seat and R…I’ll bring de food shortly.”

The look that Spencer gave Remy was bright and full of love and he got one equally bright in return. Even without being told, Morgan knew the two were exchanging emotions over their link. For what, he didn’t bother thinking about. He just went to start getting himself a cup of coffee. “Is there someplace around here I could take a run, maybe?” He asked them both. “I gotta keep up on my exercise.”

“Don’t worry, cher.” Reaching into the cupboard by Morgan, the Cajun winked at him. “We’ll keep y’ exercised today. Gotta get de bed up to de mansion today and den we thought we’d go into de city and do some shopping.”

Morgan took his first drink of his coffee and gave the smiling couple a dry look. “You two do realize that I’m _vacationing_ here, right?”

He almost groaned out loud when Spencer started to pout at him. “Does that mean you won’t help us, Morgan? I figured, you know, just a little bit of lifting with the bed and such and then we’d have fun in the city. We don’t have a lot of shopping to do and you usually like going out. We’ll even take you somewhere to eat, I promise. Please?”

The older profiler glared at his best friend. “You’re a pain in my ass, kid.” Sighing, he made his way to the table. “I’ll do it. Just quit pouting at me. Damn, I hate when you look at me like that. You do it on purpose.”

“I would never do that.” Spencer insisted. At the looks the two men gave him, he ducked his head down, going back to looking at the laptop screen with a slight hint of blush to his cheeks. He was smiling, though. Morgan couldn’t resist smiling back at him. He went over and took a seat beside Spencer. “So what is it you’re looking at there, pretty boy?” he asked. To his surprise, Spencer’s blush deepened. Before Morgan could ask, Remy let out one of his smoky laughs. The Cajun brought plates piled with food over to the table and set them down, winking at Morgan as he did. “He’s doing what he does best, cher. He’s planning t’ings. Making lists. Being organized and shit, yeah.”

“I’ve never baby shopped before!” Spencer defended himself. “Let alone for two. How am I supposed to know what I’ll need to buy if I don’t do research?”

Running a hand over Spencer’s hair, Remy leaned in and kissed the crown of his head. “Wasn’t complaining, was I? _Non_ , just teasing y’. Sheathe y’r claws, _allée chat_.”

“Kiss my ass, street rat.” Spencer shot back. The words didn’t have much heat to them.

Remy smirked at him while gathering the basket of biscuits and bringing it to the table as well. He took a seat beside Spencer and leaned in, just a hair away from kissing him. “If y’ can bare it faster dan I can pucker, _mon cœur_.”

“You are absolutely insane.” Smiling, Spencer closed the distance, kissing him. “Yet I love you anyways. Eat your breakfast, you menace, and let me get back to being organized.”

“Sure t’ing. What’d y’ find f’ us so far?” And that started a talk of the nursery that carried them through breakfast. As they discussed paints and things like that, Morgan was drawn into the conversation, giving his input on what they should do and the best types of paints for a nursery. His skills with renovating houses showed as he easily discussed paints and woods and things like that. When breakfast was done, Spencer slipped past the two men, sneaking out as they talked about sanding the wood floor in the room. He headed upstairs to his and Remy’s room and started to get himself ready for the day.

He’d stripped out of his clothes and had put on fresh boxers when the door opened and Remy came walking in. The older man shut the door and leaned back against it with a grin. “Well _bonjour, mon cœur_.” He practically purred out.

Straightening, Spencer looked over at Remy and shook his head. “Oh, no. Don’t you dare, Remy LeBeau.”

“Don’t what, cher? Say good morning to y’?”

“You can’t fool me. I know that tone and I’m telling you, neither one of us has time.” Spencer backed up a step, trying to smother his grin, as Remy stepped forward. “We’ve got a little under an hour until you’re due in the Danger Room and I have to be at my office for an important phone call I have to make on time. We do _not_ have time for this.”

Eyes twinkling, Remy gave him that cocky grin that always meant trouble. “Den we better not waste time.” With that said, Remy darted forward and Spencer dodged, the both of them laughing. He didn’t put up much of a fight, really. Moments later, when Remy finally caught him, Spencer willingly let himself be dragged down onto the bed. Then Remy was kissing him and all thoughts of protest slid out of Spencer’s mind. He sighed and gave himself over to the passion and love that always burned between them.

CXCX

They were almost running late when they finally got to the mansion. Yet Remy managed to run and make it down to the Danger Room only a few minutes late and Spencer got to his office early enough to still make the call he needed to make. Morgan set up in the office with him, smirking as he settled back on the couch. The older man watched as Spencer switched into full business mode and called up a friend he knew on the opposite coast.

Sitting back in his chair, Spencer absently rubbed a hand over his stomach while listening to the phone ring. When it was finally answered, he grinned and said “Hey, Timothy!”

“Spencer, right on time, as usual.” Timothy said in that smooth, cultured voice of his.

A chuckle slid out. “You know me. Punctual to a fault. If I’m not on time, I’m early.”

“And your man hasn’t managed to beat that out of you yet?”

“Are you kidding me?” Winking at Morgan, the young genius shifted to get a little more comfortable in his chair. “You do remember Remy, don’t you? He’s threatened to beat me countless times, but he never has and never will go through with it.”

“And that’s why you’ll always drive him up the wall, just like you do the rest of us.” Sighing, Timothy switched the topic. “Now, I know this isn’t meant to be a pleasure call, Spencer. You set this up through my secretary, so that tells me this is business. What is it I can do for you?”

“I have a bit of a proposition for you, Timothy. One that would be beneficial to the both of us.”

“I’m listening.”

The babies started to move again, stronger than they had earlier, making Spencer jump slightly. He started to rock slightly in his chair as he said the part that he knew would catch Timothy’s interest. “It’s about The Genus.”

He could practically hear Timothy sit up at attention. The forced casual sound to his voice gave away his interest. “Oh?”

“Yes. You see, it recently came to my attention that the Byrrus Room has become vacant. Now, as you know, these rooms are very carefully given for specific purposes to members that have, shall we say, met certain requirements and the right monthly fee.” It was amusing to not only censor himself because of where he was, but because of who was in the room with him. He saw Morgan’s confusion and grinned at him. “But I was thinking that you and I might be able to come to an understanding. I might be willing to make a gift of this room and potentially waive the monthly fee in return for a small favor.”

“We might be able to reach some kind of understanding, Spencer. What type of favor would you be interested in?”

Now came the bargaining. Here Spencer sat up, blocking out the way that Morgan was watching him. “A small one, Timothy. I need transport. I need someone to take my family home for me.” He knew that the man would understand what he meant by that.

A scoffing sound came from the other end of the line. “That’s all, huh? Boy, you sure don’t ask for much. Transport, in return for the room? No deal, Spencer. You must think I’m crazy! The room alone isn’t worth that.”

He’d known it wouldn’t be. Timothy was going right where he wanted him to. “I might be willing to take a small cut off of the membership dues as well. Provided, mind you, the transport is safe and secure.”

“Hmm. Make it a fifty percent cut and you’ve got a deal.”

Spencer laughed out loud. “Fifty percent? What do you think I am, Timothy? I’ll give you ten.”

“Ten! That’s robbery! I won’t do it for less than forty five.”

And so went the bargaining. By the time everything was said and done, they both had a number they were comfortable with, as well as other details ironed out. Spencer promised to have Niall, the club’s lawyer, ready with the contracts that evening for the room. As the two hung up the phone, Spencer grinned, pleased with himself. He looked up to see Logan and Remy sitting on the couch opposite Morgan. The three men were watching him, smiling.

“Aren’t you two supposed to be in training?” Spencer asked them teasingly.

Logan snorted and sat back. “Scooter had to come deal with Chuck about something, so we’re let off for the day. Figured we’d get up here and grab Morgan and take care of the bed and such while you play shark in here.”

“I was not a shark, Logan. I gave him a fair deal.” He couldn’t see the way that his eyes twinkled at them with his good humor. “And I got a hell of a deal in return.”

Morgan leaned forward on his seat and rested his arms on his thighs. “Ok, I gotta ask. What’s the Genus and who is this Timothy dude? I was here for the whole convo and I didn’t understand most of it. What family is he transporting home?”

For a second Spencer just looked at his friend, debating how to word this. First and foremost, Morgan was a friend. But he was also a federal agent. Some of this, Spencer would trust him with. But some he knew better than to actually admit to. He worded what he wanted to say very, very carefully. “The Genus is an old fashioned gentlemen’s club in Los Angeles that I own. Not the modern style, which are simply strip clubs. It’s more a club for drinking, cards, social events, occasional tasteful dancers and such like that. It’s exclusive and requires a membership to enter, or to be a guest of a member. And it has certain rooms that are temporarily sold to different clients, to be used for their various…needs.” And those needs were some of the things that Spencer couldn’t tell Morgan. He tried to gloss right past that. “But, in the downstairs is a spot for mutants seeking shelter. It’s not a home, but a go-between to the next home. Our last transport team had to…leave. So, basically, I just made a deal with Timothy for him and his friends to transport any mutants that come through, aka the family, to the shelter in Vegas. Or, as you heard me call it, home.”

“You’re using a gentlemen’s club to smuggle mutants from LA to Vegas?” Morgan put bluntly.

Nodding, Spencer picked up his bottle of water and unscrewed the lid. “Essentially. And I got him to agree to it for the price of a room and a twenty five percent cut on his yearly membership rate.” Smirking, Spencer took a drink before adding, “The fool didn’t realize I would’ve given him as much as thirty five percent off.”

“And who exactly is Timothy?”

After taking another drink, Spencer gave Morgan a serious look. “You remember that conversation we had once about things a Federal Agent is better off _not_ knowing, Morgan?”

The profiler snorted and rolled his eyes. “Ah. One of those. All right, kid. The less I know, the better.”

“And on dat note, why don’t we go get started on moving t’ings?” Remy said to the room. He stood up and winked at Spencer. “Y’ go on back to work, _allée chat_. We’ll come find y’ when we’re done and ready to go to town, yeah?”

Spencer tipped his head up for a kiss, humming softly when Remy obliged him. Once the three men were gone, the young genius turned back to his desk and put his attention back to his work.


	10. Chapter 10

A sigh slipped out as Spencer closed the last tab on the computer. There. He was finally done with the Houston halfway home. A look at the clock showed that it was almost ten. The boys were most likely just about done moving things from the boathouse, up here to Remy’s room in the mansion. Well, now _their_ room. It wasn’t just the bed that had to be moved—the old one had to be taken out and put into storage and then their bed had to be taken apart, brought up, put together, the mattress brought up, and then clothes and things like that needed to be brought up. Spencer couldn’t help but smirk a little at the thought that he didn’t have to move any of it. There’s no way a single one of those men, or really anyone in the mansion, would let him carry things from the boathouse to their new quarters.

Spencer shifted a little to get ready to get up from his desk. He had just reached his feet when his cell phone rang from its spot on the desktop. He scooped it up and glanced at the caller ID. When he saw the ID saying ‘Bennington’ he quickly answered the call. “Dr. Reid.”

“Dr. Reid, this is Tamara at Bennington. Did you authorize for your mother to be removed from our facility?”

The bluntness of the question was coupled with a frustrated and frazzled tone in her voice. The question itself was enough to throw Spencer. “What? No!” he braced one hand on the desk. “What’s going on, Tamara?”

“Your father showed up fifteen minutes ago with two orderlies and a doctor that, pardon my not sounding professional, is a well-known quack at the Richardson sanitarium. According to him, he has all the necessary paperwork to take Diana and transfer her over to the Richardson facility.” Tamara explained to him.

One of Spencer’s hands came out to grip at the desk. “My father has absolutely no legal standing with which to execute that order. Lawyer or not, he has no right to take her out of there. I am legally in charge of her care and I’ve authorized no transfer between facilities. The last thing my mother needs is to be moved from the place that has been her home for years!”

There were sounds in the background and then Tamara was telling him “Just a moment, Dr. Reid. Here’s Dr. Norman.”

This was not sounding good. Spencer turned enough to sit down on the side of the desk. One of his hands came up, finger and thumb going to rub at his temples. What on earth was his father trying to do? Why would he even want to be moving her to begin with? There had to be some reason for it, but Spencer just couldn’t see what that reason was.

“Dr. Reid? Dr. Norman here.”

“Yes, Dr. Norman.” Spencer took a deep breath and tried to keep his composure. “Tamara tells me that my father is trying to take Mom from the hospital, but he should have absolutely no legal standing with which to do this. We went through court proceedings to put me in charge of her care since she was hospitalized. A move like this can’t be facilitated without my approval and, I assure you, I have _not_ given approval for this.”

“I’m sorry, Dr. Reid, but your father has all the appropriate paperwork. I was able to stall him today, but only for today. He’s assured me that he will return with the authorities to remove her if we do not have her ready to go by eleven am tomorrow. If he shows up with the authorities and his paperwork, there’s nothing that I can do to stop them. Are you capable of making a trip home to fix this? The last thing Diana needs is the trauma of being moved, even if she does end up brought back here. I do not know what effect that would have on her mental state, but it wouldn’t be a positive one.”

Son of a bitch. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Spencer made a few quick mental calculations. “I can be there. I’ll make a call to my lawyer and try to get things started. I’ll leave a message for you when I have my flight information so you know when to expect me. I will do everything in my power to keep this from happening, Dr. Norman.”

“Thank you, Spencer. I knew speaking with you would start to straighten this out. None of us here want to see Diana leave and we know that you will always do what is best for your mother. That was why we didn’t understand this.”

“I appreciate the call. Anytime something happens, please, never hesitate to call me.”

After a few more moments, Spencer finally hung the phone up. For just a minute he stood there with the phone clenched in his hand. What the hell was his dad trying to do? What could be the point of moving her? It would do nothing but distress her and piss off Spencer; and those two things couldn’t be William Reid’s goal. Could they? No one could be that petty! He knew his father hated him, had felt it far too many times from the man, but this was above and beyond normal. What the hell was he thinking?

“Reid?” Bobby’s voice broke into Spencer’s dazed thoughts. The young doctor looked up to see his onetime friend in the doorway, holding a box in his hands. He looked annoyed. “This came for you. Ororo told me to bring it down.”

Bobby’s words seemed to be kind of hazy. Spencer’s brain was still spinning with the phone call and the possible ramifications that came from it. He knew he should be on the phone right now, making flight reservations. Or getting a hold of Remy and letting him know what was going on. There were things that needed to be done. He had to get to Vegas and take care of this before his dad managed to actually succeed at what he was trying to do. Then he had to figure out what exactly his dad’s goal was in all of this. Why was he trying to move her? What would he gain out of it?

A sound reminded him that Bobby was in the room. “Oh, um, just set it there.” Spencer waved absently toward the rest of the room, not really paying attention to where he gestured. Who cared what the package was. Spencer pushed away from the desk, intent on doing…something. But the world spun a little around him. He had to slap a hand down on the desk’s surface to keep himself from falling.

Someone was saying his name. Who was that? Oh, that’s right. Bobby had been in the room. “Hey…Spencer, man, are you ok? You don’t look so well.”

Licking dry lips, he tried to form words, but nothing came out. The world spun a little faster.

Terror hit Bobby square in the stomach when he saw a man who had once been a good friend of his suddenly seem to go limp, body sliding toward the floor. Instinct had Bobby leaping forward, arms out to catch him before he could hit. Very carefully he lowered Spencer to the ground. Shit! What the hell? He cradled the man with one arm, slapping at his cheeks. “Spencer? Hey, Spencer! Come on man. Spencer!” But there was no answer. Jesus.

Still holding Spencer with one arm, Bobby lifted his head, looking toward the door. Someone had to be nearby. Someone had to be! “Hey! Hey! I need some help in here! _Hey_!” He shouted as loudly as he could.

There was the sound of footsteps, thank God, and then someone was stepping into the room. Bobby looked up as Warren strode in. The man took one look at the scene before marching straight over and kneeling beside Spencer. He surprised Bobby by taking hold of Spencer’s wrist and feeling for a pulse. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I came in and he looked a little pale. I told him he had a package and he was acting funny. Then he straightened up from the desk and just sort of started to slump. I think he fainted.”

Warren wasted no more time. He shifted his weight and slid his arms around the unconscious man. “Call Hank and tell him that I’m bringing Spencer down. Then call Gambit.” He ordered. Without waiting for confirmation, Warren picked Spencer up in his arms, cradling him carefully before taking off from the room. Bobby’s hands shook when he stood and reached for the phone. Everything was going to be ok, right? He hoped so. God, he hoped so.

CXCX

Groaning, Spencer squeezed his eyes shut a little tighter, fighting the groggy sensation in his head. He felt hands on his cheeks at the same time that he heard Remy’s voice, sounding both scared and relieved at the same time. “ _Merde_ , cher. Dere y’ are. Dat’s it, now. Y’ come back to Remy, y’ hear? Come on an open dem _beau_ eyes of y’rs. Come on now, open dem eyes f’ Remy.”

“For _me_.” Spencer corrected with a groan. He turned his face into Remy’s palm, still feeling slightly groggy. “What the hell is going on?”

Laughter sounded around him softly. Even Remy gave a weak little laugh before he kissed Spencer’s forehead. “Y’ gotta be ok if y’r correcting me again, _oui_? Y’ scared dis po’ boy, cher. Y’ fainted on Bobby in y’r office. Ange had to carry y’ down to Henri’s lab. What happened, _mon cœur_?”

He’d fainted? But, but, he didn’t _faint_! He’d _never_ fainted in his life unless slammed by too many emotions with his shields down low. Even then, it was more like being mentally punched into unconsciousness. But he’d never actually, straight up _fainted_ before. “I fainted? Are you kidding me?”

“It’s actually a common enough problem in pregnancy, to become lightheaded and occasionally pass out.” Hank’s voice was off to his other side, opposite Remy.

Spencer blinked his eyes, trying to focus past the blindingly bright light. When a pair of sunglasses settled on to his face, he smiled in relief and gave his lover a grateful look. “Thanks.” He said with a smile. Over Remy’s shoulder, he saw Logan, Morgan, Warren and even Scott standing there. Embarrassment had his cheeks heating, but manners bade he speak up. “I guess I owe you a thanks, Warren. I sincerely appreciate you carrying me down here.”

“Anytime.” Warren answered easily. “There’s no such thing as too much caution in a pregnancy such as yours.” A smile curved his lips and he gave Remy one of the most relaxed looks the two had ever shared. “Plus, if I’d left you there, Gambit might have tried to kill me.”

It made Spencer smile to see the way the two men were far more relaxed around one another than he’d ever seen. Apparently this pregnancy had changed something between Warren and Remy. It was making Warren act…nicer. Thinking of the babies wiped away Spencer’s smile and brought the fear up in him. He turned his head to look at Hank, who was busy moving machinery away from the side of the bed. “The babies—are they ok?” he asked. There was a note of that fear in his voice that had Remy taking his other hand and holding on tightly.

“There are no signs of fetal distress and their heartbeats are strong.” Hank reassured him quickly. He rolled the vitals machine away from Spencer’s side before grabbing the ultrasound machine and bringing it over. “But I’m going to take a quick peek anyways, just to make doubly sure. However, I think it is safe to say that they are fine.”

The other occupants of the room looked like they were preparing to back away and leave. Spencer bit his lip and looked to Remy, getting a soft nod, before looking back at the others. “You guys don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. You’re welcome to stay and see them.”

“Are you kidding?” Scott grinned widely and quickly moved up to stand at the foot of the bed. The whole room laughed at him. Logan shook his head, but he too moved forward to watch, Morgan beside him. The senior profiler reached out and rested a hand on Spencer’s ankle, giving him a look that let his friend know how happy he was that he was ok. Even Warren stayed. The blanket was adjusted around Spencer’s waist and his shirt was lifted so that his stomach was revealed. He looked down as Hank put the gel onto his stomach. Then the machine was turned on and the sensor was put over him. It only took a second before the image came up on the screen. Up popped the 3D image, showing the babies in startling clarity. Spencer felt his lips curve and he clamped down on Remy’s hand a little tighter.

Remy leaned in, pressing a kiss to Spencer’s temple. He brought his free hand up there to play with Spencer’s hair.

“Everything looks fine.” Hank said happily. “They seem to be just fine, the both of them. You see their heads, right there?” His hand came up, one finger tracing the screen.

Emotion clogged Spencer’s throat. “Can you…can you tell what they are?” He looked back up at Remy and the two shared a smile before Spencer looked back at Hank. “We’d like to know.”

The room was quiet as Hank moved the sensor around, pressing down a little bit in different parts of Spencer’s stomach. He tapped a few keys, saving random images. From the foot of the bed, Morgan held up his cell phone, recording the moment on camera. Then Hank’s smile stretched wide and he held his hand still. Again he lifted a finger to point at the screen. “Congratulations, gentlemen. You have identical twin boys.”

Tears built in Spencer’s eyes and silently spilled down his cheeks. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes away from the screen. Boys. They were going to have two boys! Finally he lifted his tearstained face to look at the man he loved. “You see that, baby? Boys. We’re having boys.”

There were tears on Remy’s cheeks as well. “I see, cher.” Remy said in a hoarse voice. He bent, pressing his forehead against Spencer’s, giving him a kiss. “ _Je t’aime, allée chat. Je t'aime et nos fils_.”

“I love you too.” Spencer whispered back. He took another kiss, tasting the salt of their tears, barely noticing as Hank wiped his stomach clean for him. When his stomach was once more cleaned and covered, Hank gave them printouts of the ultrasound, which Spencer held in his hands, unable to stop looking at them. He lifted a wide grin to his friends. “Did you guys see? Did you see them?”

Morgan was the first to move around the bed, taking the place where Hank had been. He leaned in and gave Spencer a big hug. “Congratulations, pretty boy.”

Logan had Remy in a tight hug, patting the man’s back. “Congrats, Gumbo.” He moved from Remy and over to Spencer, letting Scott step up to the Cajun. With a huge grin, Scott yanked Remy in for a hug. “We’ll have to have a drink to celebrate, Remy.” He told him when he pulled back. “We’ll have a special dinner tonight to celebrate the arrival of the two…um, are they going to be LeBeau or Reid?”

Looking up from his hug with Logan, Spencer answered “LeBeau.”

“Really?” Remy turned to look at him, a silly smile on his lips. “Cher…”

“Don’t start with me, Remy. I don’t care about the Reid name and you know it. Our sons are going to be part of the LeBeau family and that’s final.”

The mentioning of his last name was enough to sink Spencer back in reality and to remind him what exactly had been going on before he’d fainted—he couldn’t believe he’d actually fainted!—in his office. “Son of a bitch!” he snapped out. How the hell had he forgotten! What the hell was wrong with him that he’d forgotten about this? He pulled his arms away from Logan and started to reach for the blankets over his lap. He needed to get up and get out of here. He didn’t even get the blankets moved before multiple sets of hands were stopping him. Hank’s hands were on his shoulders, bracing him against the back of the bed. How had he gotten back up here so fast? Logan had been there a moment ago! “Sit back, Spencer. I have to insist. Though you and the babies are fine, I want you to rest.” The kind doctor told him.

“Dammit, you don’t understand. I need to get to Vegas!” Spencer put a hand on his stomach to rub soothingly as he felt the boys start to kick, seemingly in response to his temper. He looked over to Remy, hoping he could make his lover understand. “Bennington called. That’s who I was talking to before Bobby came in.”

“ _Merde_. Is y’r Mere ok?” Quickly Remy stepped up, eyebrows furrowed down with concern.

“Dad showed up with paperwork and orderlies, claiming that he’s transferring her facilities.” All over again Spencer felt the temper and confusion filling him. “He doesn’t have the authorization to do so but he apparently has the appropriate paperwork.” In short terms he summed up the conversation for Remy, who looked outraged. As soon as Spencer was done, Remy snapped out “He can’t do dis, Spencer. What does dat _connard_ t’ink he’s doing? Dis don’t make no sense!”

“So he just gets to show up with the cops and take your mom outta there?” Morgan said incredulously. “What the hell?”

“Actually, he’ll need to show up with more than just police.” Warren chimed in from the background. All eyes turned to him and he took a small step forward. “If you have the proper documentation stating that you’ve been appointed guardian because of her mental status, then there’s not a thing anyone can do. It doesn’t matter if he’s her husband or not. I assume that was something that would have come up in the court proceedings?”

“We alerted him to what we were doing and requested he join us for talks about her care, but he ignored every call my lawyer made. When we went to court, he didn’t show, so the judge took our information and decided that Dad was essentially waiving any rights he had and he awarded me guardianship of Mom.” Spencer explained. “But Dad’s a lawyer. He would know how to get around something like this, if anyone would.”

Warren shook his head. “So long as you have your paperwork, there’s no ‘getting around it’, Spencer. Do you have the paperwork with you? If you do, I can fax it to my lawyer and have him take a look at it. He can do a quick consult and be back with us in under an hour about what we need to do. If necessary, I’ll send him to Vegas for you.”

The offer seemed to stun the entire room. Spencer, however, smiled at the man. He and Warren had always gotten along well, even if Warren and Remy hadn’t. They’d frequently discussed business together. “I’d really appreciate that, Warren. I wasn’t looking forward to a plane ride and the fight once I got there.” He looked over to Morgan. “Would you mind getting my briefcase for me, please? I imagine it made its way to the room with the rest of my things, correct?”

“Yeah, kid. I’ll get it. You just try not to do anything else to scare me while I’m gone, ok?” The teasing was given with a look that Morgan had given him plenty of times in the past. It was a look that said he’d scared the hell out of him, but he was glad he was ok. Spencer smiled back and sent affection and reassurance to his friend.

A little more at ease, Spencer let his eyes close, relaxing slightly in the bed. He felt it shift a little as Remy sat down next to him, one of his hands stroking Spencer’s stomach. The gesture itself was soothing. So much so that Spencer didn’t even notice the others starting to creep away. All he focused on was Remy’s soft humming, the same tune he always used to put Spencer to sleep.

It didn’t take long before Remy felt Spencer shift into sleep, cuddled up against him. Still the Cajun stayed there, stroking his stomach, humming wordlessly. He was there when Morgan came back almost an hour later. Remy stopped his humming and looked up at the man. Morgan was quick to explain what was going on in a low voice so as not to wake Spencer. “Everything’s taken care of. The paperwork is ironclad and there’s not a damn thing William Reid can do to change it. Warren’s lawyer even sent off a reminder to William, informing him of what his rights are and what they aren’t. He said not to worry, that nothing will happen.”

“Dat’s _bon_.” Sighing, Remy looked down at Spencer. He couldn’t resist bending down and kissing the top of Spencer’s head. “We’re gonna have to keep our eye on dis, Derek. Don’t make no sense f’ de _salaud_ to try dis. Dere’s got to be more to dis dan we know.”

“I’ll dig around a little, get Garcia to look into William’s electronic life and see if that gives us anything.”

“ _Merci_. We’ll put out a few feelers too. Aint gonna let him mess with Spencer no more.” A dark look crossed over Remy’s face as he watched his pregnant lover sleeping. “Dat man’s already done too much to Spencer. Aint gonna let him hurt him no more. Gonna protect m’ boys.” Bending his head, Remy sealed that promise with another gentle kiss against Spencer’s hair.


	11. Chapter 11

Not even the combined effort of his friends was enough to keep Spencer in bed once he woke back up. They momentarily distracted him from leaving by catching him up on what was going on, but it was only until they were done talking and then he was intent once more on leaving. Spencer didn’t bother yelling at them, or fighting what they said, or any of that. He simply climbed from the bed, adjusting his clothes, and started to make his way out of the lab. Remy walked with him, not saying anything, his hand resting on the small of Spencer’s back the entire time. Behind them came Hank, Logan, and Morgan.

When they were waiting for the elevator, Hank looked at Remy and asked “Would you offer us some assistance, Remy? He really should lie down a little longer!”

“Are y’ kidding me?” Remy snorted at them. “Y’ can win a fight with him when he shouts at y’, or when he’s arguing. But y’ aint gonna win when he gets like dis. I know I can’t stop him. De best I can do is go with him and make sure he’s ok.”

Spencer chose to ignore the implication that he couldn’t take care of himself. To argue that would open himself up to argue about other things. So he simply stayed quiet and let the bickering voices around him fade into the background. He knew his body better than any of them did and he knew what he could and could not handle. Did they really think he’d do anything that would put his boys in harm’s way? Fainting was a common enough problem with pregnancy and it wasn’t a cause to spend the day in bed. He knew, he just _knew_ , they were all doing this because they were overly concerned for him and because this was a male pregnancy. Well, him being a man didn’t mean that he could handle things less than the average pregnant woman could.

That resolve carried him straight back to where all of this had started; his office. He continued to ignore the room as he sat behind his desk and picked up his phone. At least his followers fell silent when he started to dial. He held the phone to his ear, leaning his head back in his chair and sighing only slightly. There was a low grade headache that told him he needed to get something to eat and something to drink. The hands that suddenly appeared on either side of his head, fingers gently rubbing at his temples, were a wonderful help, though. Bless Remy for that.

Then Dr. Norman was answering on the other end of the line and Spencer was speaking with him, reassuring the man as to what was going on and letting him know that he wouldn’t be out there right now. He was frank with the doctor, explaining to him that he was pregnant and that travel this short notice wasn’t the best for him. After the congratulations were out of the way, Spencer did add in “But I will be making a trip within the next month, I think. I’d like to bring Remy and come visit Mom. I’m not sure about our schedules yet and I still need to speak with Remy about this, but I’d like to be able to see her and tell her this personally, not over the phone or in a letter.”

“Of course, Dr. Reid. I believe that your mother would benefit from a visit. You know she’s always happy to see you and your young man.”

After a few more pleasantries were exchanged, Spencer hung up the phone, slightly more relaxed than before. Closing his eyes, he took a moment and simply focused on the fingers still rubbing at his head, chasing away a bit of his headache. Later, when it was just him and Remy, they could talk about this. They could try and figure out what on earth William Reid hoped to gain from such a stupid move. And, from there, they could plan accordingly. But right now, that was the last thing Spencer wanted to do. It wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in front of a whole room of people.

Remembering those others, Spencer cracked his eyes open and looked at the occupants of the room. Logan and Morgan were sitting on the couch, with Scott standing off to the side. Where had Hank gone and when had Scott shown up? Before he could say anything to them, his eyes caught on the package that Bobby had brought him. Curiosity had him sitting up a little bit straighter. Who on earth was sending him a package? “Morgan, would you bring me that box, please? Bobby was bringing that in before…before.” He trailed off, trying not to flush. No matter that it was a problem that was common in pregnancy; he still couldn’t help but feel embarrassed that he’d _fainted_.

Morgan grinned as if he had read that thought out of Spencer’s mind. That grin stayed in place while he got up and grabbed the box, bringing it over. “Pretty heavy gift, pretty boy.” He told him. A glance down at the package had him smirking. “Must be a gift from your family, Remy. It’s marked Louisiana.”

Remy cursed under his breath and moved his hands away from Spencer’s head as if to reach for the box. Frowning, Spencer smacked Remy’s hands out of the way and gestured to Morgan to set it down. He cast a glare at his lover. “Hands off, LeBeau. This is my gift. See?” He pointed to the label on it that clearly said his name. “It’s marked Spencer Reid, not Remy LeBeau. Keep your hands to yourself.”

“Dat’s m’ wife’s address!” Remy argued with him. “Dere’s no telling what dat _femme_ put in dere.”

Scoffing, Spencer looked at the box, debating if there would be enough room in his lap. Deciding that no, there wasn’t, he carefully rose from his chair. “Do you really think she’d send something that would put the babies or I at risk?” Hands on the box, Spencer turned his head, slanting a look toward Remy. “ _We’re_ not the one’s she was mad at.”

“How’d she know to send something so fast? You guys just told her last night.” Scott asked as he made his way over toward the desk. Logan followed him so that the three men lined the other side of his desk. Spencer looked over at them and smiled. “Just because we spoke about it last night doesn’t mean that she’s only known since last night. She called me, mad that we hadn’t told her. That means that she already knew. So, she very well could have sent something off before then, or she could have overnighted this.”

He looked around as he spoke, trying to find something to cut the tape with. A soft flicking sound came from beside him and then Remy was reaching over, offering him the hilt of his knife. Spencer took it, leaning in and kissing him. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rolling his eyes, Remy nonetheless smiled as he gestured to the package. “Just open de damn t’ing and let’s see what she’s sent. I’m almost scared, yeah.”

Spencer shook his head and then set about cutting the tape so that he could open the box. A flick of his wrist closed the knife before he handed it back to his partner. Then, eager, he unfolded the top flaps. The first thing in there was a letter. Spencer picked it up, passing it over to Remy. “Would you read it, Rems? Please?”

“ _D’accord_.”

While Remy opened the letter, Spencer dug past the paper that lined the top, searching underneath. The first thing he pulled out was a container with a plastic bag inside that was full of…Spencer grinned. “Cajun cornbread mix.” He said, showing it to Remy. They both loved Belle’s cornbread. He set that on the desk while Remy started to read out loud.

“Remy and Spencer,

Here are some t’ings I been meaning to send to de two of y’. Dere’s some cornbread, some hot sauce, some more spices f’ y’, some red beans and rice, and some fish fry. Dat’s de t’ings f’ y’ two. De rest of it be f’ de little ones. Y’ take care of dese t’ings, y’ hear? Dey been in m’ family f’ a long time now. Seems right dat I pass dem along to y’, seeing as how dese are technically m’ babies too, _oui_?”

Morgan chuckled, watching Spencer put all the mentioned food onto the desk. “Her babies too, huh?” he teased.

That had Spencer pausing and looking up at his friend. “Well, she is married to Remy. So, his kids would technically be hers as well.” It seemed logical enough to him. Feeling that the matter was settled, he moved the next layer of paper in the box and reached for the last items. The room watched as everything about Spencer seemed to soften. He pulled out a large, crocheted grey and white baby blanket, holding it in his arms and staring down at it. “It’s so soft.” He whispered. Spencer stroked a hand over the soft knit blanket and listened as Remy finished reading out the letter.

“De blanket was mine when I was little and I hope y’ two enjoy it. De swaddling blankets were from m’ childhood as well. Dere’s another package dat’ll be on de way soon enough, husband. Y’r Tante Mattie has a few t’ings she’s sending y’r way. Was her dat put de bag at de bottom of de box. Don’t y’ touch dat, Spencer. Y’ let husband handle it. Husband, y’ look at dat and y’ll know what to do. Y’ put dem t’ings up in de babies room. _Je t’aime,_ husband, husband-to-be. Belle.”

Remy set the letter down and moved over, reaching down into the box to shift past the swaddling blankets to look at the bag at the bottom. One look and he knew what it was. He let the blankets fall back on top and slowly started to put the other items in there. Still holding the blanket, Spencer watched him for a moment. He had a feeling he knew what was in the bag. Most likely, since it had been sent by Mattie, it would be some kind of charm for the children. Something for love, or luck, or protection. There were quite a few beliefs that Mattie had, and in turn so did Remy, that Spencer may not have believed in himself, but he would never dream of mocking them in his partner. So, he kept quiet, knowing that this was one of those things that he didn’t need to worry about.

Instead, he contented himself with stepping back and unfolding the blanket, letting it hang down from his hands. It was beautifully crocheted and was extremely soft. It would be a perfect blanket for sitting in a rocking chair, rocking the little ones to sleep. Or lying out on the floor for them to crawl on and lay on. “I’ll have to call her and thank her. This…it’s all wonderful.” To Spencer’s utter embarrassment, tears gathered in his eyes. He dropped his head down a little and bundled the blanket back up in his arms, trying not to let the others see his tears. It felt silly to be crying over a gift. He brought one hand up, swiping it over his cheek to catch a few of the tears.

Suddenly Remy’s hand was there, holding a hankie, wiping away the few tears that had escaped. His sweet gesture only seemed to bring on more, though. Spencer cradled the blanket to him and sniffed slightly. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled with embarrassment. “It’s silly, I know.”

“ _Non_ , _mon amour_. Aint silly at all.” Giving up on wiping the tears, Remy just reached out and pulled him in for a hug. Spencer gave up the fight he was obviously losing; curling in against Remy, he let the tears fall as they wanted while Remy rocked them slowly. Little flutters ran around his stomach and had him smiling through his tears. He couldn’t really think of anything to say, so he settled for pressing a kiss to the side of Remy’s neck and whispering “I love you.”

The arms around him tightened for a second. “ _Je t’aime aussi_ , Spencer. De three of y’, y’r m’ world. M’ everyt’ing.”

His damn tears flowed a little faster at that. Spencer let out a watery chuckle and brought a hand up to wipe at his face. He pulled away from Remy, still cleaning his face off, and gave another chuckle. “Ok, ok. Enough of this or I’m never going to stop.” He said jokingly. He smiled and waved his hand at the room. “All of you, go find something to do. Give me a little while in here, ok? I’ve got a few things to wrap up. You too, Mister.” The last he directed at Remy. “Go on, or I’m never going to mellow out enough to finish what I need to do. I’ve just got a few documents to send off and then I’m done, I promise.”

Remy reached up and took a hold of Spencer’s chin. “Y’ promise me y’ll stay here, at y’r desk, and not do anyt’ing else? And y’ call me when y’r done and I’ll come here to y’.”

The requests—orders, really—didn’t surprise Spencer. He smiled at Remy and nodded, knowing it would be easier to give in on this than to argue that he would be fine. It would make Remy feel better and that was important to Spencer. “I promise I’ll call you when I’m done and even wait here for you. As for the other, I’ll stay in my office, but I can’t sit completely still or my back aches. So, you’ll have to settle for substituting ‘desk’ for ‘office’.”

“I can live with dat.” Remy smiled and stole a kiss before he let go.

When the room was finally clear and the door was shut behind the last person, Spencer clutched the blanket he’d kept. Then, secure in the knowledge he was alone, he let down his guard, buried his face in the blanket, and he sobbed.

CXCX

After a little break-down time, Spencer found he felt remarkably better. So much had happened—what with the phone call about his mother and the fainting and finding out that he was having boys and then that sweet package from Belle—that he’d needed some kind of release for those emotions. Apparently his pregnant body had decided that tears were the way to go about it. And once they were done, he cleaned himself up and actually felt quite a bit more relaxed.

He’d just finished sending off a thank you email to Belle—the only real thing he’d had to do in here; claiming business had been an excuse to get the others to leave—he startled a little when a knock came at the office door. Sitting back and rubbing a hand over his stomach, he called out “Come in!”

Shock filled him when the door opened and the person that walked in was Bobby. Bobby! The man stepped into the room and nervously stood at the door for a moment. “Do, uh…do you have a minute?”

“Of course, of course. Come on in, Bobby.”

The young man hesitated for a moment. His hand tightened on the door and his body language screamed out his nerves. “I just…I just wanted to make sure you were ok, really. That’s all. I, I’ll go ahead and go.”

“No!” Not wanting to lose this opportunity, Spencer braced his hands on his chair and started to rise. Apparently that was all he needed to do to get the boy to stay. Bobby pushed away from the door, closing it without really realizing it, and he was moving toward Spencer. “Don’t get up. I heard Hank say you were supposed to be resting. Please, sit down.”

The concern in his voice was such a contrast to what had been there ever since Spencer had moved here. For a moment, it was like he had his old friend back. Spencer sank back down into his chair, eyes locked on Bobby’s face. “Please, Bobby, have a seat. Please. I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?” Bobby stopped by one of the chairs on the other side of the desk and looked at Spencer with surprise. “What for?”

“I was told that you caught me when I... _fainted_.” He couldn’t even say that word without wrinkling his nose at it. “And that you’re the one that stayed with me and called for help. With…with how you feel about me, I know that it wasn’t something you really wanted to do. So I wanted to tell you thank you for putting your feelings aside and doing what needed to be done. I, _we_ , really appreciate it.”

So many different emotions crossed over Bobby’s face. Finally he seemed to settle on a rueful sort of honesty. It was there in his voice when he said “I couldn’t let something happen to you, Spencer.” Sinking down into the chair, Bobby rested his arms on his legs and stared down at his hands. “I know I haven’t been the, well, the greatest guy, but I couldn’t let something happen to you just because I have problems.”

This was something that Spencer knew he had to do very, very carefully. This was the first time that Bobby had willingly talked to him, without a single note of malice in his voice, in quite a while. Whatever was going on here, it was a fragile thing. One wrong move and it could shatter between them. Looking at a man who he had once counted as a good friend, Spencer opted for a soft spoken trust. “I understand, Bobby.” In those words was more than a simple understanding of Bobby helping him. He was letting Bobby know he understood so much more.

Licking his lips, Bobby looked up at him before looking back down. “I doubt it, but I just…I mean I…”

“Robert.” Spencer’s quiet voice broke into Bobby’s stammering. When the young man looked up at him, Spencer made himself maintain eye contact, something he had a hard time doing. But for this, he knew he needed to. “I think I do understand. It took me a while, but I figured things out. Once I did, a lot made sense.”

Some of Bobby’s color faded off his face. “How…how did you know? I never, I never told anyone.”

“It was the way you spoke.” Spencer told him. He folded his hands on his stomach and shifted to get a little more comfortable. This conversation could take a bit. “Not just the venom in your words, but the words themselves. You terming them parasites and your use of the word freak. While those might be typical from the average person, from a mutant it seemed strange. It took me a bit of thinking and getting past my temper. Eventually, only one thing made sense.” As carefully as he could, Spencer asked a question he knew could either start them towards fixing things, or break things completely. “You’re an Mpreg too, aren’t you?”

The rest of Bobby’s color faded away. He gripped his hands together tightly and his breath started to wheeze a little. Spencer watched him and could easily see what was happening. Putting the blanket on his desk, he managed to quickly get himself up and out of the chair before making his way around the desk and over to Bobby. Instead of squatting as he once might have done, he moved the other chair over beside Bobby and sat, one hand coming out to rest on Bobby’s shoulders. “Robert, listen to me. Everything will be ok. I need you to breathe in normally and exhale slowly. Can you do that for me? I’ll do this with you. Come on, in…and out….” Spencer got him started on his breathing, watching as the man slowly got his panic under control. He rubbed at the spot between his shoulders. His other hand reached over, curling over Bobby’s. He was surprised when Bobby moved a hand, gripping at his, even as he was trying to control his wheezing and breathe normally. Spencer squeezed his hand encouragingly. “That’s right. You’re doing so well, Robert. Breathe slow and low. Remember that it’s not this place that’s bothering you, but a thought. I know that what you are feeling is painful, but it's not dangerous. You are courageous. You can do this.”

It took a few minutes of coaching, but Spencer finally got Bobby calm once more. Or at least, as calm as he was going to be right now. Leaving his hands where they were, Spencer asked “A little better now?”

“Yeah.” Bobby croaked out.

“My apologies, Bobby. I didn’t mean to trigger something like that. I should have been more cautious in what I said to you.”

“I…I never told anyone. Never. I didn’t want anyone to know.” He bowed his head down and closed his eyes. “I haven’t even told Hank.”

For a second Spencer wrinkled his brows in confusion. “But how…” he cut off his own words when realization hit. “Oh. You had the treatments.” There was a series of shots a person could get as their body grew, before it hit puberty, that was like a hormone replacement therapy. If done correctly and before puberty fully hit, the female reproductive organs inside the male would never fully grow. Later, surgery could be performed to remove them if a person so wished or a person could opt for surgery before puberty, though the treatment was more highly recommended. It was considered a less risky route because it regulated the body’s hormones first and got them back to what they should be.

Bobby nodded. “My Dad signed me up for them as early as he possibly could.” His voice got lower and slightly bitter. “He didn’t want a freak for a son.” Pausing, Bobby snorted. “Then he ended up with one anyways.”

“Oh, Bobby.” Spencer’s heart went out to him. He could _feel_ the ache inside of Bobby right then.

It seemed that, now that he’d opened up about it, the words were coming easier and easier for Bobby. He kept talking, this time without any prompting. “He told me that it wasn’t natural and that I didn’t want to grow up to be a freak. So he got me the ‘cure’ and he told me never to tell anyone and nobody would ever have to know my shameful secret. And I’ve never told anyone. Then Remy came along and told us all that you were pregnant and it just…I don’t know. All I could think of was what Dad would say. But, I watch you two and, you guys seem so happy.”

He turned to look over at Spencer, his eyes bright with emotion. “I’ve seen the way Remy will reach over and touch your stomach like he can’t seem to stop himself. Or how you’ll stand with your hand there and this little smile on your face. I’ve seen you guys curled up together on the couch and the way he sits with you, cradling you like you’re something precious. And I, I wonder what would’ve happened if Dad hadn’t, if I hadn’t taken the treatments. And it just seemed to make me even madder at you because you were obviously enjoying something I could’ve had. Something I never will, now.” Once more he sighed and looked back down at his hands. “And today, I saw the way you looked, I saw you start to fall, and I was scared. And when I didn’t know if you were ok, I couldn’t stop thinking. If something had happened to you or to your…your babies…I looked at the way I’ve been and I don’t like who I’ve become, Spencer. I, I want to be your friend again.”

After the cry he’d had, Spencer thought that he would’ve been done with the tears. But they filled his eyes now and poured down his cheeks. Bobby snuck a glance up at him and, upon seeing him crying, a horrified look went over the young man’s face. “Oh, man, I didn’t mean to make you cry! Oh, come on, please, please don’t cry!”

Spencer chuckled and brought one hand up to wipe at his face. “It’s the damn hormones. I can’t help it.” He defended himself. Even as a few more tears fell, he smiled at Bobby. “I want to be your friend again too, Bobby. I’ve missed having you around.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Wiping at more tears, Spencer laughed. “Besides, now I can ask for your help with the accounting. It’s been silly to have you being the accountant for here and me working with the other houses. It would be much more logical for us to work together.”

A warm smile was starting to light up Bobby’s face. “You just want help crunching all those numbers.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Spencer said innocently.

The two rose from their chairs together, smiling. Spencer was the one to move, leaning in and giving Bobby a hug. “Thank you.” He whispered to him. Bobby hugged him back and whispered a “Thank _you_ ” of his own.

When they pulled apart, Spencer used both hands to wipe away his tears. “Ok, ok, enough crying. I seem to be a mess of waterworks today.” He shook his head and moved around toward his chair. “While I have you in here, I’m not letting you escape yet. I’ve got an idea on something that might be able to help boost some of our numbers, but I wanted someone to run it past first and no one else understands these things quite like you would.”

Bobby followed him around the desk. Once Spencer was seated and opening a program on the computer, Bobby leaned forward to take a look. “What’ve you got?”

“Well, it seems to me that we’re wasting money here.” Spencer said as he brought a spreadsheet up on the screen. “Now, if we were to move this….” Within moments, the two were lost in numbers. Neither of them paid attention to the passing time, or to the person who peeked in through the door and smiled at them before quietly shutting it once more. Smiling to himself, Remy walked away from Spencer’s office, his step just a little lighter than it had been.


	12. Chapter 12

A couple weeks later on Halloween, Spencer was sitting behind his desk once more in his office, but this time it wasn’t to work. He was relaxing in his chair, a pillow comfortably behind his back, a glass of his blueberry juice in his hand, and a broad grin on his face. He was watching the computer screen where the image of a fully costumed Garcia was grinning at him. “Almost there, Reid.” Her voice echoed happily from his speakers.

Spencer smiled into the webcam. “I’m glad you and Scott got together to think of this, Garcia. It’s a really good idea. I can’t believe none of us did it before.”

“I can’t either! I mean, the Goddess of all technology, using a simple telephone to talk to her Dr. Yummy? It’s almost a crime. I feel like I should be arrested and put in cyber jail for this!”

He couldn’t help but laugh at that. Man, talking to Garcia was always good for a laugh. When she suddenly shushed him, Spencer went quiet, watching her with amusement. She had him on her laptop, so his image of her was moving around a little as she walked. She wanted to surprise the others, so they didn’t know what was going on; only Aaron knew, and that was so she could make sure it was ok to get together right now. Then she’d simply called them into the round table room. Now he could hear her opening a door and the sound of her heels as she walked in. “Ok, folks.” She announced cheerfully. “I come bearing presents for my beautiful BAU family.”

The image on his screen started to move and he knew she was setting the laptop down. Spencer took a drink off his juice, smothering his urge to chuckle, and listened to her say “Let me present to you…the one and only Dr. Reid!” The screen moved quickly and then Spencer could suddenly see the whole table. She’d set the laptop up on something so that it was propped up enough for him to view everyone at the table. Faces all around lit up and the group moved in a little closer to one another to make sure they all fit on the screen.

“Pretty boy!” Morgan called out. He grinned widely at him. “Well hell, kid! Look at you!”

JJ made an ‘awww’ sound before she told him “Spence! This isn’t fair! You’re glowing more than I ever did!”

“He is, isn’t he?” Emily agreed. Her smile was wide and her eyes shone happily at him. “You really look good, Reid. Really, you do.”

The smile on Spencer’s face grew as his friends all took turns complimenting him. When they gave pause, he let out a chuckle. “For as much as everyone says it, you’d think I would at least feel that good. Honestly, right now I just feel big. Very, very big.”

“I can only imagine. How far along are you now?” Emily asked.

The boys were moving around a little in his stomach, almost stretching themselves out. He had to shift a little to get more comfortable. “Today, I’m officially twenty one weeks, so that’s the first week of my sixth month. That’s why Remy and I are going to head out tomorrow to go see Mom. We want to get the traveling in before Hank restricts me from going anywhere.” Grimacing, he put his hand over his belly when there was a particularly hard kick. “I tell you, as strange as it felt when Henry was kicking you, I never realized how much more strange it is from the other perspective, JJ.”

She let out a laugh at that, remembering when she’d made him feel her pregnant belly and he’d been ‘weirded out’ by Henry kicking. “Just wait, Spence. They’ll get more active as time goes on. With two in there, that’s double the feet kicking.” She teased him.

He wrinkled his nose at her. “Don’t remind me. One of them seems to have this thing for hooking his feet up into my ribs and pushing upwards.”

“Have you two thought of names yet?” Dave asked.

Spencer took another drink from his juice before he set it down. “We’re debating a few back and forth. We haven’t quite settled on any yet.”

Abruptly Morgan leaned in, grinning widely at the screen, drawing Spencer’s attention. “Enough of this, pretty boy. I haven’t seen you in a couple weeks. Let me see the belly.”

“Excuse me?” He laughed out.

“You heard me! Stand up and let me see the belly. Come on!”

Half of Spencer wanted to start blushing and tell Morgan to shut up while the other half was amused. The amusement won out. With a hefty sigh, Spencer shifted his chair back, giving in to laughter when he heard everyone cheering. He braced on the armrests and straightened himself up, grateful that this chair was one of the easiest to rise from at the moment. Then he stepped back and turned sideways, smoothing a hand over his shirt to make sure it showed his belly off just right. “Does that satisfy you, Morgan?” he asked teasingly.

Even in the few weeks since Morgan had seen him, Spencer’s waistline had grown. When he and Remy had made a quick run in to town the previous week, just to run to the bike shop for some parts that Remy needed to fix his bike, someone on the street had had the audacity to try and touch Spencer’s stomach and make the comment that he must be due any day now. It had almost amused him to tell her that he was only halfway through the pregnancy at the time. Remy told him that his belly looked cute; like a ball stuffed under his shirt. His pregnancy weight didn’t seem to be settling anywhere else on him. It was all belly. Or at least, that was what other people said. Spencer swore sometimes that his ankles had almost doubled in size.

“Oh wow, Reid!” Garcia squealed. “You look so cute! Oh, man, you’re just all belly.”

And there it was; the comment _everyone_ said.

Spencer adjusted the top of his yoga pants discreetly underneath his shirt. Then he pulled the lightweight tank top down a little more. His over shirt had long since been discarded. Anymore, he was just too warm most of the time he was inside, no matter how cold it was. He was just about to say something to them in response to their compliments when he felt a kick on his stomach. But, not just felt on the inside. He felt it against his hand on the outside. All at once he held still. After a second, he felt another against his hand. “Holy shit.”

“Reid?” Aaron called out. “Reid, what is it?”

“I felt the baby kick.” He was wondrously. A smile was growing on his face. This was the first time he’d felt anything on the outside.

Emily gave the screen a confused look. “Haven’t you felt that for a while?” she asked. JJ, however, understood what he meant right away. She clapped her hands and cheered. “Yay, Spence!” she called out. “Oh, that’s exciting. Is that the first time?”

He rubbed at his stomach, feeling yet another kick. “Yeah. Yeah it is.”

“Oh! You’ve got to go tell Remy, honey! Go, go!” she encouraged.

A laugh tickled its way up Spencer’s throat. He stood there, staring off into space, grinning widely. At the sound of his name, he jumped as if he’d been poked. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “Right, right. I’ve got to find Remy. I uh, I’ll see you guys later. Yeah, later.” And without even turning off the webcam, Spencer set off from his office. He looked inside himself to the link that he and Remy shared and used it to find his love. He couldn’t help but smile even more when he felt that Remy was extremely close. Scott’s office, it would appear. He hurried over there, seeing that the door was cracked open. Because of that, he didn’t hesitate to poke his head in. Scott was at his desk, with Charles beside him and Remy and Logan across from them.

Spencer bit his lip and prepared to back up; it looked like they were busy. He didn’t get the chance, though. Scott looked up and saw him, smiling at him. “Come on in, Spencer.” He called out. “Trust me, we could use the break.”

That was all the invitation he needed. Grin in place, he pushed the door open and hurried into the room. Remy was already turning toward him, his mouth quirking up in a grin full of love and amusement in equal measure. “What’s got y’ ready to burst dere, _mon amour_?”

Spencer didn’t say anything. He just walked right over to Remy, sticking his hands out when he got close. Remy didn’t hesitate to reach up and take hold of his hands. The minute he did, Spencer took them and placed them on his stomach. He didn’t stay in one place, though. He moved their hands, trying to bring them to where he could feel the kicking on the inside. When he found the spot, he pressed against Remy’s hand lightly. “Okay, keep them there.” He told him.

It didn’t take long. Spencer felt a hard kick, hard enough to make him wince just slightly, and he saw Remy’s face just light up below him. His eyes widened and turned up toward Spencer before looking back at his belly. Another kick came, at the edge of Remy’s hand. “ _Dieu_.” He breathed the word out like a prayer. “Not such _papillons_ anymore.”

Spencer let out a warm laugh. “No, they’re not.” One of the babies stretched, cutting off Spencer’s words. He grimaced and rubbed his hand at the top of his stomach, feeling the push against his ribs. Remy’s hands instantly moved there too, taking over the rubbing, and he bent to press a kiss to Spencer’s belly. “Now, y’ two quit pushing y’r Daddy so hard, y’ hear me? Y’ be nice in dere.”

“You talk to his stomach?” Logan teased him.

Remy didn’t even bother looking up. “Course I do. M’ Tante used to tell Remy—”

Smacking Remy’s head, Spencer glared at him. “Tell me.”

The Cajun didn’t even miss a beat. Rolling his eyes, he continued “Tante used to tell _me_ dat de _enfants_ can hear y’ in dere and dat, de noises dey hear in dere, dey comfortable with when dey’re born.”

“There are studies that suggest that certain types of stimulation are beneficial to a fetus.” Spencer input easily. He opened his mouth to give them the actual statistics when someone knocked at the office door. Everyone looked over to see Ororo poking her head in. She looked to Spencer and smiled at him. “There you are, Spencer. I’ve been looking for you. Are you busy, or might I steal you for a little while?”

Another kiss was pressed against Spencer’s stomach before Remy looked up at him. “Go on, cher. Gotta get back to dis anyways. I’ll find y’ later when I’m done, _d’accord_?”

The smile Spencer gave him was full of promise. He had a few ideas of what to do with the man he loved before they headed out tonight. “ _D’accord, mon amour_.” Spencer returned with a smile. He didn’t often speak back in Remy’s language, but he knew enough to get by. Speaking of knowing enough…bending to kiss his love, he leaned over when he was done, putting his lips by Remy’s ear, and whispered in Cajun a few of the things he wanted to do to him. The flash of heat over the link was a very satisfying reaction, as was the fire in Remy’s eyes. The older man glared at him. “Gee, t’anks, cher. I’m gonna be able to concentrate real well now, me. _Merci beaucoup_.” The sarcasm in the whispered words made Spencer grin. He stole one last kiss before straightening up and moving away from Remy’s chair.

However, as he passed the desk, Spencer couldn’t help but stopping. He looked at the paper that sat there and the numbers written on it. Underneath the pattern of numbers were others; what he figured were their guesses. Spencer chewed on his lip for a second before smiling. Reaching out, he grabbed a pencil, crossing out a whole row and then writing out what ended up being two different sets of coordinates. He laid the pencil down and smiled up at Scott. “There.”

He left the room to the sound of Remy and Logan’s laughter.

CXCX

“What exactly are we doing?” Spencer asked Ororo as he was led through the house. She had her hand in the curve of his arm and wore her usual serene expression. There was a hint of amusement at the edges of her smile, though, that had Spencer wondering. He had started to get to know Ororo more and more since moving in here—she was close to Remy and therefore someone he obviously wanted to know well and be friendly with, and she was really a great woman—and he had come to realize that she was more mischievous underneath that calm exterior than she let on.

The innocent look she gave him failed miserably. She didn’t answer, just led him down the hall. He finally realized where they were at; they were almost to her loft. Sure enough, moments later she was reaching out to open her door. When she did, Spencer was stunned by what was waiting on the other side.

Halloween colors were all over Ororo’s room. Streams were hung, balloons were floating here and there and tied to various places. There was a table set up with a Halloween tablecloth, cups and plates, and snack food as well as a cake. There was also a large banner that said “LeBeau Baby Shower!” on it. And the ladies of the house were all standing around in a space that Spencer knew had housed Ororo’s bed at one point, but was now empty of the bed and filled with various comfortable looking chairs and a table stacked high with presents.

“Surprise!” The women cried out. Ororo laughed lightly and hugged him sideways.

Shocked, Spencer let himself be led into the room, the door shut behind him. He found himself surrounded all of a sudden and ushered over to the wing backed chair that looked like a throne in the center of the others. Once he was seated, Jean hovered a footstool over and Jubilee lifted his feet and set them on there. Rogue brought him a drink of, oh sweet heavens, _blueberry juice_ , and smiled down at him. “We’ve been planning this for a little while.” She admitted to him.

Betsy took a nearby chair, her own drink in hand. “We debated having the other men join us.”

Snickering, Kitty tossed herself into a chair. “For about two minutes.”

“Then we decided we didn’t want them here.” Jean took a chair as well, her smile wide. “They don’t know how to have fun and they just don’t understand.”

The other ladies raised their glasses, calling out “Hear, hear!”

Ororo brushed a hand over Spencer’s hair, standing beside his chair and smiling down at him. “So, I’m taking on my Aunty duties and I said we could have the party here. So, as hostess, I say it’s time to get this party started.”

Emotion clogged Spencer’s throat as he looked around at these wonderful women. Though he typically wasn’t one for parties, this made him happier than he ever would have thought. The only thing that would have made it better was if the BAU women were able to be there. He smiled and tried not to let the tears in his eyes fall. “Thank you, all of you. Thank you so much.”

Bending, Ororo brushed a kiss over the top of his head. “It is our pleasure, Spencer.” She reassured him. Then she broke out in a grin. “Now, before we go any further, let hand out a few things.” She walked over to a big box that sat on the side of the room and reached inside. What she came up with had Spencer laughing with surprise. It looked like a bunch of strings with…black and orange clothespins on them. Ororo walked around the room, handing one to everyone, Spencer and herself included. “The rules for this baby shower game are that whenever someone says the word "baby" during the shower, anyone who calls it out gets a pin from the other one who stated the word. At the end of the baby shower, the one with the most pins wins a prize.”

The ridiculousness of it had Spencer chuckling once more. He brought a hand up to fiddle with his clothespins while he took a drink of his juice.

“Now, what should we do first, everyone? Games, presents, cake?” Ororo asked.

“Oh, games!” Kitty called out. Beside her, Jubilee thrust a hand up, saying “I vote presents!”

“I’m with Kitty.” Rogue chimed in. “Let’s play some games! I’m all for winning a few prizes!”

Surprisingly, Spencer found himself agreeing with them. “Let’s play some games.”

Jean helped Ororo gather what was needed for this one and soon the women were handing out pens and notepads to everyone. “Here’s the rules.” Jean told them all. “We’re going to play Guess the Baby Food. A jar is going to be passed around and you get to take one taste of it before passing it to the next person. Write the number on your paper and what you think the food is. The person with the most right at the end wins a prize!”

Smirking, Ororo set the bag with the food jars in it by Spencer. “And we’re starting with our Daddy to be here, because I know you wouldn’t be able to bring yourself to eat out of here after a few of us already have. So, you get to start.” She teased him. Spencer blushed, but he grinned at the same time. He couldn’t deny it. He wouldn’t have. Even the idea of it made him shiver a little; he didn’t share food with just anyone.

He set his notepad on his belly and held a hand out, letting his smile grow. “Bring it on, Ro.”

The first one he took a bit of had him scrunching up his face, causing the other ladies to laugh. He quickly passed that along, writing his answer down on his paper. The next one was a little better, and a little easier. He definitely identified it as peas. As the jars started to travel around, Spencer found himself spending as much time laughing as he did tasting, enjoying the faces the others made as they tried various baby foods.

“Gah!” Jubilee said after tasting an orange one. “People really feed these to kids? That’s _disgusting_!”

Spencer had to agree with her. Whatever he’d just had, he had no idea what it was, but it tasted horrible. He had to wash it down with a few drinks of his juice.

Finally all the food was tested and everyone compared their answers. Rogue was the winner, beating Spencer out by one. Ororo walked over and clipped a five into her clothespins. “Here’s your prize. Hope no one takes it with your clothespin.” The weather goddess teased.

That started one of the most entertaining parties that Spencer had ever been a part of. He laughed more in that afternoon than he had in a while. They played ‘Baby Sketch Artist’, which involved putting paper plates over their faces and drawing a baby face on the other side. There was ‘Blindfold Diapering’ where all of them had to diaper a baby doll with a blindfold on. Spencer surprised them all, himself included, by winning that one. He was done first and his was done the best. That was followed by a game that had them all rolling around with laughter. It was called ‘Who Sucks the Best’. As Ororo explained the rules, Spencer had laughed and blushed both at the same time.

“This game is one of my favorites.” She told them all. “Everyone gets a baby bottle…”

Spencer reached up, grinning, and stole one of her clothespins, making the others laugh.

Laughing, Ororo kept going. “Everyone gets a bottle full of juice and it’s a race to see who can finish the first. Betsy, would you pass out the bottles, please?”

Once everyone had a bottle, they all got into position, staring around at one another. “On three.” Ororo called out. “One, two, three!”

Drinking from a bottle was not as easy as it looked. For a long moment the only sound in the room was the wet sound of each person sucking as hard as they could on their bottles. In the end, there wasn’t one winner, but two. Spencer and Betsy both pulled their bottles away at the same time, panting slightly. The room filled with laughter. Ororo kept laughing as she gave them each a five on their clothespins. “Woo, Bets!” Rogue called out. “Good to know about you!”

“No wonder Gambit’s always smiling so big!” Jubilee crowed.

In the spirit of things, Spencer didn’t even blush. He let his grin grow even bigger and winked over at Betsy, telling her “They’re just jealous, Bets, that’s all.”

“Amen to that one. High five!” Leaving over, she slapped hands with him, bringing on the laughter once more.

After that they played one last game called ‘Tinkle in the Pot’.  Chairs were cleared out of the way and jars were set up on one side of the room while, on the other there were stools with quarters on them. In teams of two—Jean and Ororo, Rogue and Jubilee, Betsy and Kitty—they had to place a quarter between their knees and waddle to the jar. At the jar, they had to drop the quarter inside without using their hands. If they miss or drop it along the way, they have to go back to the start and start over. Each teammate had to go twice. The first time to make them all, won. And to make it better, Ororo had them all put balloons up their shirt to simulate the pregnant belly. Spencer had to make a trip to the bathroom after that game, he laughed so hard watching them. Rogue and Jubilee were the winners. The dance they did was almost as hilarious as the game itself.

It was one of the best afternoons Spencer had ever had with friends. After the games, cake was served and they all settled back in their chairs once more. Then, since Spencer finished his slice first—of course—he opened presents while the others finished their cake. Usually Spencer wasn’t the type to do well being watched, especially as he opened things up and was expected to give reactions. He had no such problems this time. With each gift, he wasn’t the only one reacting to them, or commenting.

From Rogue, there was a diaper bag that was a basic black so it wouldn’t look feminine, and it was full of things like teething rings, bottles, cloth diapers and baby wipes. Jean gave him three packages of diapers, a bunch of clothes, and a bottle washing kit. Betsy gave him a bunch of onesies, plenty of socks, and a twin baby swing that she said came from Warren. Jubilee had a gift she said was from her and Logan and it was a twin stroller. Kitty gave bath items—a baby tub full of soaps, washcloths, and towels. Last, Ororo brought out two infant car seats. Inside of each one was a quilt that she had made for each boy. “When you have their names, I’ll embroider them to the edges.” She told him. That had been enough to bring on the tears.

Eventually, after all the laughs and photos and presents and food, Spencer was very obviously starting to get a little sleepy in his chair. Apparently that must have been a sign for them, because the ladies started to put some things together. And, though Spencer didn’t know it, Jean sent out a telepathic call to Scott, Logan and Remy to have them come get the items and Spencer.

Spencer was in his chair once more, feet on the footrest, when the door opened and the men came in. He smiled the instant he saw Remy. His love came over to him, taking the cup from his hand and bending down to take a kiss. “Y’ look like y’r bout to pass out in dat chair, _mon bijou._ ” Discreetly he passed the cup off to someone walking past, who threw it away for him. “Why don’t we get y’ on down to de room?”

“Mm.” Spencer took Remy’s hands and let himself be practically pulled up. On his feet, he looked to his friends, almost radiating his happiness. “Thank you, so much.” He told them. “I had an absolutely wonderful time. Thank you for everything.”

“Oh, Spencer, it was our pleasure.” Jean reassured him. One by one they hugged him. When it was Ororo’s turn, she kissed his cheek as well and gave him one of her motherly smiles. “I’m very happy to have added you to our family, Spencer. You and your children. Welcome.” She kissed his cheek once more and then Remy’s arm was around his waist and Spencer found himself led from the room. He couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “Can you believe it, Rems? They threw me a party. A party!”

“ _Oui_ , cher. And it looks like y’ had a _bon_ time of it too, yeah?”

“Oh, it was fantastic. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.” Chuckling, he looked over at Remy. “You should have seen Ro with the balloon up her shirt and the quarter between her knees, trying to make it in that pot. Well, you probably can. I took pictures for that. There was a camera around the whole time, actually.”

“Now dat’s something I’d paid to see. Sounds like dis was good f’ y’. I’m glad, Spencer. Y’ deserved to have a good time.” Remy steered them over, taking them through a door. Abruptly Spencer realized that they were in their room. Then Remy was sitting him on the bed and he looked down, watching as his Cajun lover squatted and started to remove his shoes for him. Seeing as how that was a pain most of the time, Spencer didn’t bother protesting.

As soon as his shoes were off, Spencer scooted back in bed, curling his legs up with him. He could admit that he was exhausted. A nap sounded like a wonderful thing. It started to sound even better as he watched Remy take off his shoes as well and shed his coat. Then he was climbing in bed with Spencer and gathering him close. Snuggling in as best as he could with his belly in the way, Spencer gave a soft sigh, smiling against Remy’s skin. “I love you, Rems.”

“ _Je t’aime aussi_ , Spencer. Always.”


	13. Chapter 13

The next day found the two men on their way out to their trip in Vegas. Their plan was to catch their flight out that morning, giving them enough time to arrive and to settle in before heading to the sanitarium to visit Diana. Spencer was beyond nervous about going to speak with his mother, most especially since, if she was lucid, she wasn’t going to be pleased that he’d waited so long to tell her about the children. But he knew it wasn’t something he could keep putting off. Still, the nerves ate at him when they boarded their flight and they nagged at the back of his mind, keeping him from napping at all for the entire six hour flight. Bless Remy for managing to get them a flight without a single stop or layover; it made it much quicker than it could have been.

It didn’t surprise Spencer when Remy fell asleep within the first hour. Boredom tended to do that to him. With the amount of energy he usually had, if he grew bored it could go one of two ways. Either Remy would start bouncing off the walls, the energy filling him up until it finally poured out of him and left the rest of the world to deal with a hyperactive, bored Cajun; _or_ , he would curl up somewhere and sleep. Spencer was thankful his partner chose sleep. Hyperactivity was not the best option on an airplane. They were already getting enough attention from those that had seen Spencer’s obvious baby belly. No need to add more attention. Plus, Remy was a cuddler when he slept and it was nice to have the man snuggled up against his side, head on his shoulder. Usually their positions were reversed anymore. Remy was always cuddling him and holding him close. For this little while, Spencer got to sit with his arm around Remy, letting the man lay against him.

By the time they arrived, Spencer was most definitely ready to stand up and stretch. The boys had become active during the flight and only movement Spencer had managed so far was a shifting in position and three trips to the bathroom. Usually walking a little seemed to soothe the boys down, but that wasn’t possible on the flight, so he was stuck rubbing his stomach and hoping they’d mellow and quit hitting his bladder.

Bless Remy, he got their bags for them rather quickly and then he was ushering them off to the rental car company that was in the airport. Spencer didn’t even bother paying attention to the scenery around him. Usually he’d be absorbing the fact that he was back home—Vegas would always be a home for him. At the moment, all he felt like doing was pacing the rental company, trying to stretch out the muscles in his legs that felt like they were cramping and the ones in his back that were stiff from the damn airplane seat. Okay, so maybe plane travel was going to be a little out of the question for a while. He felt a little frustrated with himself. Plenty of other people managed travel at this stage in pregnancy! Why on earth did he have to be so, so, _achy_?

“Come on, _mon amour_. De car’s ready f’ us.” Remy murmured by his ear. One of his hands settled in the small of Spencer’s back, rubbing ever so slightly, drawing Spencer’s attention to him. The young genius wrinkled his nose and sighed just a little, trying to shake off his thoughts. “Sorry, Rem.” He apologized as they made their way out front where one of the rental employees had brought the car around for them.

Remy kissed his cheek before escorting him to the passenger’s side of the car. “ _Pas de quoi_. Y’ look beat.”

Gratitude filled Spencer when he saw that Remy hadn’t got a low to the ground car, but a nice SUV that was easy to leverage himself into. This wasn’t the type of car he would have pegged Remy to pick out of everything. SUV’s weren’t exactly the man’s style, so to speak. He said nothing about it, though. While Remy loaded their bags into the back, Spencer sat down and stretched his legs out a little, trying to adjust so that his back didn’t ache so much. He closed his eyes and settled back into the seat, listening to the sound of Remy getting into the driver’s seat. The car started and the gentle vibrations were rather soothing. Spencer rested one hand on his stomach, rubbing a little. He reached his other hand over to let it curl over Remy’s thigh.

“Just a bit and we’ll get y’ to de hotel and checked in.” Remy reassured him. “Den we’ll get y’ stretched out and dose muscles eased a little, yeah?”

“Mm. Ease my muscles, hm? You going to rub out the ache for me, Rems?”

The snort from Remy had Spencer cracking his eyes open. His partner shot him a look before his eyes were back on the road. “I aint falling f’ dat one again, cher. I’ll run y’ a bath but I aint rubbing y’r back or y’r feet f’ y’.”

Spencer let his eyes open a little more and a low-grade pout settled on his lips. “But Remy…”

“ _Non_ , Spencer. It’s rest y’ need and y’ and I both know damn well dat y’ aint gonna get no rest if’n I rub y’r back or feet. Y’r a damn nympho, dat’s what y’ are.”

He didn’t bother trying to deny it because they both knew it was true. The past month had definitely showed an upsweep in Spencer’s sex drive. Every inch of him was so much more sensitive than it had been before and it didn’t take much at all to get him in that kind of a mood. Not that it ever had with Remy; the man simply had to be and Spencer was turned on by him. Still pouting, Spencer tried to plead anyways, not bothering with denial. “What if I promise to be good?” At Remy’s dry glance, he amended his words. “Okay, what if I promise to _try_ to be good?”

Laughter tinted the edges of Remy’s words when he replied. “Oh, sure.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“ _Non_ , cher. But y’ know dat we’d get in dere, and I’m gonna start rubbing on y’r feet or y’r legs and y’r gonna make dem little happy sounds f’ me. Den y’r gonna convince me to rub at y’r back and y’r gonna twist and arch under m’ hands, making more of dem happy sounds, and den we’re both gonna be hard and it aint gonna take much of nothing to convince dis fool to do what y’ want.”

A little hum built in the back of Spencer’s throat. He slid his hand a little more around Remy’s thigh, lightly rubbing there. “And where’s the problem with that scenario?”

The little sound Remy made had Spencer smiling at him. Still, Remy managed to keep his tone mostly firm. “De problems is dat I promised Henri y’d rest when we got here. He said dat being on de plane was gonna mean y’ needed to eat and rest when we got here.”

“I’ll rest.” Spencer bit his lip and continued to rub at Remy’s thigh. What had started out as an amusing debate had turned into more for him. “After.”

Remy adjusted in his seat, never dislodging Spencer’s hand. That took any heat out of Remy’s protests. If he really didn’t want to do this, he would’ve already picked Spencer’s hand up and moved it. Still, he kept up the debate. “Den y’r gonna wake up to go see y’r _mere_ and y’r gonna be achy and tired cause y’ didn’t sleep enough.”

“It’ll be well worth it.” Mischievously, Spencer let his hand go a little higher, palming the very obvious arousal his lover was now sporting. It was a thrill to watch Remy shift again, his legs shifting just enough to still be able to drive while giving Spencer better access. They stopped at a light and Remy’s head fell back for a second, his hips pushing against Spencer’s firm rubbing. “ _Dieu_ , Spencer, y’r gonna make us crash if y’ keep dat up.” He said huskily.

“I’ve done worse while you’ve driven.” Spencer countered. It was true, too.

“ _Dieu_.” Remy repeated. When the light turned green, he drove just a little faster than before to get them to the hotel.

It made Spencer laugh a little when they arrived at the hotel and he watched Remy adjust his coat over himself so that his arousal wouldn’t be obvious to everyone they passed by. Sure, Spencer had to do the same thing, but his belly made his coat stick out just enough that it was easier for him to hide things than for Remy. That mixture of amusement and arousal stayed with Spencer through check-in and even as Remy took his hand and led him to the elevators. He had to resist chuckling when he saw the others in the elevator and the frustration on Remy’s face at being in a crowd of people. The man looked positively antsy, shifting his weight from one foot to the other while the elevator climbed.

Spencer couldn’t resist leaning in, letting his head rest on Remy’s shoulder, one arm going around his waist so that he was snuggled up against Remy’s side. In response, Remy put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in close. The Cajun bent his head to murmur in Spencer’s ear. “I swear, y’r dangerous, y’ know dat?”

“You love me anyways.”

“Dat’s beside de point.” The words were accompanied by a warm chuckle. “ _Mais_ , I wouldn’t have y’ any other way, _allée chat_. Just y’ remember, paybacks are a bitch.”

There wasn’t a chance for Spencer to respond to that teasing threat. The doors opened and Remy was leading him into the hall and down to their hotel room. Then they were inside and Spencer found himself much too busy to think of saying anything. The instant they were inside, Remy kicked the door shut, fisted a hand in Spencer’s coat, and yanked him close for a hard and hot kiss. Their bags were dropped right there in the entryway, left to sit there as Remy backed Spencer against the wall, ravaging the younger man’s mouth.

When they broke apart, Spencer was breathless, his eyes heavy. He opened them just enough to see the glow of Remy’s eyes right in front of him. “Y’r an evil t’ing, cher.” Remy murmured in a low, husky voice. “Taunting me like dat. Teasing me.”

“Just seeing if you were still interested.” Spencer taunted. He faked a small pout. “I’ve never had to work so hard just to catch your interest before.”

Remy’s hand caught one of his, bringing it down to press it firmly against the tent in Remy’s jeans. He ground against Spencer’s hand and leaned in, nipping at his ear. “Does dat feel like I’m not interested, cher?” he growled.

A low moan built in Spencer’s throat. Nimble fingers danced up, quickly undoing the button there. His body arched when Remy bit his ear once more. Every nerve ending in Spencer’s body seemed lit up. It was always like this anymore; passion always seeming to sit under the surface, easily brought up. He quickly had Remy’s jeans undone.

How they got from the wall to the bed, Spencer didn’t really pay any attention to. His attention was focused on the hands that were sliding over him, pushing off layers of clothing, and on his own hands that were returning the favor. They broke apart right at the bedside so that they could get their shoes off. Remy took advantage of that time to go back to their bags and raid it for the bottle of lube they wouldn’t dare travel without. When he straightened back up, Spencer had his shoes off and was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands. He’d been admiring Remy’s form, watching his graceful movements. “I’ve got to be the luckiest man.” Spencer murmured appreciatively. “To have ended up with such a devastatingly handsome partner.”

“If y’ could see y’rself right now, y’d know I’m de lucky one.” A sexy little smirk was curving Remy’s lips as he sauntered back over to him. He climbed right onto the bed beside Spencer, rubbing their bodies together as he did, letting skin brush against skin so that Spencer shivered. Remy tugged on his arm, pulling him more onto the bed. “Get up here, _mon amour_.” He purred out. Spencer found himself up in the middle of their king sized bed, stretched out on his side with Remy’s hands running all over him. Finding a position for intimacy was becoming a little more interesting as Spencer’s body grew and his belly got more and more in the way, but they’d found a few that worked.

With the heat between them, neither was in the mood to wait for what they wanted and they both knew Spencer’s newly extra sensitive body wouldn’t last long. Teasing too much could end things far too prematurely. So when Remy started to adjust them, Spencer easily caught on and rolled to his side, letting the man spoon up behind him.

Sensation was driving Spencer out of his mind. He couldn’t think; could only feel. Feel the lips and teeth at the back of his neck, his shoulder. Feel the teasing fingers that lovingly prepared him, making his hips jerk as he begged for more, more, anything. When finally, Remy moved and gave them what they both wanted, Spencer thought he’d scream from it. He pushed back as his lover pushed forward and then he was being filled and stretched and it was perfect, just right, yet not enough. He gave himself no time to adjust before he started rocking his hips, needing the sensation, unable to be still. “Oh, God.” He gasped out. “Remy, baby…”

A low growl sounded against his neck. Remy’s hand was on his hip, fingers clenching slightly as he thrust. And with that, Spencer lost control of his shields, his emotions too strong. Skin to skin like this, lost in the passion, he couldn’t keep his empathy from projecting to Remy, sending his own pleasure over their link to him, breaking down any shields Remy had up. Rarely did they both drop their shields that strongly when together; the overload of passion could be just shy of too much, the dual emotions circling and feeding off one another and sending them higher and higher. Twin gasps echoed in the room. Everything else in the world vanished for them both. Faster and faster they moved, the passion growing higher and higher, He felt Remy’s teeth sink into the curve between shoulder and neck and he was lost. With a hoarse cry, his body snapped taunt as the pleasure ripped its way free, their twined empathy dragging Remy right along with him.

It took almost ten minutes before either one of them could move once more. Even then, it was only long enough to pull the now dirty comforter off the bed so that they could climb underneath the sheets. There, wrapped in one another’s arms, the two happily drifted off to sleep.

CXCX

Hours later the young couple was climbing out of their car outside of Bennington. Spencer couldn’t stop himself from stretching slightly as he straightened up, one hand going to rub at the ache in the small of his back. Like Remy predicted, he was tired and achy now, having napped for only a short time. The only thing was, he definitely considered it well worth it. That little reminder made him smile slightly to himself.

“Y’ watch y’rself dere, _mon cœur_.” The teasing voice drew Spencer back to reality. He looked over to see that Remy had come around to his side of the car and was now smiling at him, easily reading the look on Spencer’s face and the emotions that were present in their link. “We’re about to go see y’r _mere_. Dat’s de last t’ing y’ need to be t’inking about.”

Spencer blushed a little bit and defended himself. “I was just thinking that you were right, I’m tired and I’m achy, but it was very much worth it.”

Despite all his earlier warnings and teasing, Remy didn’t rub it in now. If anything, he softened slightly. As they made their way toward the entrance of the building, Remy’s hand settled in the small of Spencer’s back, rubbing just slightly. “Dis time when we get back to de hotel, I’ll get a bath run f’ y’ and we’ll work de tension out. Don’t want y’ to be hurting none if’n y’ don’t have to.”

“I’ll be fine, Remy. You worry too much.” Still, Spencer paused at the door to steal a quick kiss. “I’ll take you up on the bath, though. That just sounds heavenly.”

Together, the two made their way to the front desk, easily checking in at the visitor station. Once they were signed in, they moved to the stairs, starting their way up them. Spencer only grimaced a little bit before he started. Stairs were becoming just a bit of a pain for him. He could only imagine what it would be like when he reached the end of the pregnancy. How on earth was he going to navigate the stairs of the mansion when he got that far along? That idea didn’t even bear thinking about at the moment.

When they found his mother, she had just finished her dinner and was settling back into her room to read for a while. Nerves grew in Spencer’s stomach and he found himself rubbing his hand over his belly to soothe himself down. Remy’s hand moved off his back, sliding down to link with Spencer’s free hand, their fingers lacing together. He sent love to Spencer and stood, strong and supportive beside him. Those were what gave Spencer the courage to rap his knuckles against the doorframe. Diana Reid looked up from her book. A smile stretched over her lips. The nerves in Spencer’s stomach changed to a feeling he was extremely familiar with. He knew, even before she spoke, how this was going to go and it saddened him as it always did.

“Hello there.” Diana greeted them warmly. “Did you two come for the reading? I’m sorry, but it was cancelled this evening. The other guests have fallen ill.”

Licking dry lips, Spencer looked at his mother and felt equal parts love and heartache. “How disappointing.” He forced himself to speak in a semi normal voice. “I was so looking forward to it. I do enjoy a good reading. What is it you’re reading this evening?”

The woman looked down at her book, a fond little smile on her lips. “Proust.” When she looked back up, he could see the memories in her eyes. “I used to read this to my son occasionally. He seemed fond of this piece.”

Spencer’s hand tightened on Remy’s. Emotion clogged his throat so that he had to clear it to speak. “I imagine he enjoyed the personal time with you, no matter the book, ma’am. Sometimes there’s simply nothing better than to curl up with one’s mother and be transported to another world through good literature and a soothing voice. I was often fond of listening to my mother read Proust.”

“You’re a sweet one.” As if deciding something, Diana straightened up, her smile growing. “I know the others aren’t coming, but if you two would like, you’re more than welcome to step inside and I’ll read you something different than what was intended. Would you like that?”

“I’d like that very much.”

That was how Spencer and Remy found themselves seated on the couch in Diana’s room, listening to the musical sound of her voice as she propped herself up against pillows on the bed and proceeded to read aloud from the book she’d been reading when they showed up. The words themselves didn’t really matter. Spencer sat tucked under Remy’s arm and just let himself listen to the sound of her voice. He closed his eyes and ran one hand over his stomach, his other resting on Remy’s leg, his memories taking him back in time.

They stayed there until Diana’s voice started to fade a little and Spencer could see that she was falling asleep. He didn’t think before rising and making his way to the bed. With gentle hands he took the book, passing it over to Remy. “Come now, ma’am. I think it’s time for bed.” Turning his head, he looked to Remy. “Would you let them know she’s ready for her night meds? It’s only a little bit early and I doubt she’ll be awake much longer.”

Remy left to go do as he’d been asked. While they waited, Spencer helped adjust the blanket around his mother, bringing it up to tuck around her. She smiled at him once more, that smile that lacked the familiar love to it. As always, he found himself cursing her disease and what it took away from them. It always cut just slightly when he would visit and he would see that blank look on her face that told him clearer than words that she wasn’t all the way there at the moment. That she wasn’t in the reality of the moment and wouldn’t recognize even her own son. But it wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last. He had dealt with it more than once and he would deal with it again. Even though she didn’t recognize him at the moment, he knew her and he loved her. That was what mattered.

“You’re such a sweet young man.” Diana said to him when he brushed back a strand of her hair. “And your young man loves you very much. It’s easy to see it.”

“I love him too. Very much so.”

She reached a hand up to lightly brush it over his stomach. “You look as if you two will make a happy family. That’s good. That’s what a child needs in their life; happiness and support. They need someone to love them. How far along are you?”

He didn’t mind the touch of her hand. Even if she didn’t realize that it was her grandchildren in there, he was still going to enjoy this moment with her. “Twenty one weeks. Twins, actually. Twin boys.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. My son’s going to be a father as well, you know.” She said that proudly, not noticing the way that Spencer froze. “His father was just here today, telling me that our little boy is pregnant too. I’m going to be a Grandmother.”

Shock had Spencer’s body frozen in place. Somehow he made his mouth move, though his voice was slightly flat. “Congratulations. You must be thrilled.” Inside, his mind was moving, trying to figure it out. How had William found out? What was going on here? And since when did he come and visit Diana at the hospital? He _never_ visited her! Spencer knew that because he consistently checked each time he came to visit. They kept track of visitors and not once had he seen William’s name on the list. What the hell was going on here?

Oblivious to his tension, Diana smiled in a dreamy sort of way. “Thank you. I am thrilled. He’s going to make the best father. My strong, sweet boy.”

Remy returned just then with an orderly who had Diana’s medication. He moved immediately to Spencer, brows furrowing as he read the emotions in his partner. Spencer was slowly standing, trying to orient himself. What the hell was going on? Nothing was making sense. He heard Remy telling Diana “ _Merci_ f’ de story, ma’am. It was a pleasure, f’sure.” And Diana was saying something in reply. Then the orderly was ushering them out of the room and Spencer found himself being led down the hall. One of Remy’s arms was around his waist while the other had reached over to take his hand. “Spencer, cher, what is it? What’s going on?” he murmured.

Reality returned for Spencer. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts out. Then he walked over to the desk. “Excuse me.” He caught the attention of the attendant there, a woman he recognized. Nurse Ellen had been there almost the entire time Diana had. The elderly woman gave Spencer a warm smile. “Hello, Dr. Reid! Did you have a good visit with your mother today?”

“Ellen, has my father been in to see Mom lately?” He didn’t waste time asking his question.

Ellen raised an eyebrow but she pulled over the visitor logs and checked through them. “Yes, Dr. Reid. He was here twice the past week and once today, actually. Is everything all right? Is there a problem we should be aware of?”

Three times? He’d been to see her three times recently? This didn’t make sense. Why stay away for years and years and then suddenly have three visits in a weeks’ time frame, and conveniently right before Remy and Spencer came to visit and right after this whole debacle with trying to have her removed from the home? “Thank you.” He spoke in an absent sort of way, turning and making his way toward the exit. Remy stuck right with him, not letting go. But once they were outside and near the car, the Cajun turned him, making Spencer stop. “Spencer, talk to me. What’s going on? What’s dis t’ing with y’r Papa?”

“Mom said he was here today and that he’d told her that I was pregnant.” Spencer furrowed his brows, looking down at his stomach. “This isn’t making sense, Rems. None of this is making sense.”

“Why not? Tell me what y’r t’inking.”

“Dad doesn’t visit. Not one time in the entire time Mom’s been here has he visited her. He hasn’t even _bothered_ with her.” Spencer shifted his weight, leaning back against the cool metal of the car. His gaze moved up to Remy, still confused, as he tried to think this out. “Yet recently, look at what’s happened. He tries to remove her from here for no apparent reason. Then, it comes to light that he’s been visiting her. Not only that, but discussing me. How did he know I’m pregnant? I haven’t told him and none of my team would have. So how does he know? And why is he here talking about this with her? These things, they’re all connected somehow, but I’m not understanding how. I don’t understand what’s going on and I don’t like that.”

With each point Spencer listed, Remy’s look grew more and more contemplative. “It don’t make sense to me neither, but I’m not liking it.” Remy agreed with him. “With everything y’ve told me bout de _connard_ , I can’t believe dat he’s just had a sudden surge of familial feelings.” He paused and his expression went just a little hard. “Maybe it’s time f’ Remy to go have a visit with de _homme_.”

That was enough to bring Spencer’s attention fully to his partner. One look was all it took for him to see that Remy’s protective urges had been fully roused. Spencer switched his focus from the problem with his father to the problem of diffusing that urge in Remy. When the man got protective, he could get a little overboard sometimes. Because he knew the reasoning behind it and could appreciate the love in the gesture, Spencer never got too mad at him for it, but he had learned little ways to help tone it down. Right now what he needed to do was distract the man.

With that in mind, Spencer lifted a hand, flicking Remy’s nose, smirking at the way that Remy startled back from it. “Me.” Spencer told him in a mock stern voice. “Time for _me_. And no, it’s not. At least, not alone. And not together if you can’t promise to behave yourself. We’ll go see him together, tomorrow.” The corner of his mouth quirked. “Right now, we’re going to go find me something to eat. I’m starving.”

One of Remy’s hands came up to rub at his nose. “ _Merde_ , Spencer. Y’r a strange one, y’ know dat?”

“Your point?”

“Just thought you should know, yeah.”

Spencer rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips. “Pick on me later. Now, food. I’m hungry!”

The way that Remy smiled and shook his head had Spencer smiling back. Good. For now, he’d successfully distracted the man. Not to mention, he really was hungry. The two men got into the SUV and Spencer slid his buckle into place while Remy started the car. “What’re y’ hungry f’, _mon amour_?”

“Waffles.” Spencer answered promptly. He paused before adding. “And a corndog.”

“Waffles and a corndog?”

He nodded at him. “Mm hm.”

Rolling his eyes behind his shades, Remy put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking spot. “Like I said, y’r a strange one, Spencer.”

“I love you too, Remy.”


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning, Spencer and Remy were both up early. Neither one of them had slept perfectly. Between Spencer's aching and their worries about what was going on, it had made for a slightly restless night. Neither one was willing to simply sit around in the room and wait for the day to start, so they got up together by silent agreement and prepared themselves for the day. Spencer took first shower. When he was done, Remy stepped in and Spencer went out to get dressed. Today they were going to go see his Dad and Spencer wanted to look a certain way for this meeting. With that in mind, he dressed carefully, choosing not only comfortable clothes, but clothes he knew he looked good in. There was something about being in a comfortable, attractive outfit that just made a person feel a little more confident. That was something Morgan had taught him.

Apparently he’d done well. When Remy stepped out of the bathroom, he gave a wolf whistle, making Spencer both blush and smile. “ _Mais_ , y’r looking so _bon_ , cher.” Came the warm approval. Spencer turned to watch as Remy strolled toward him, a towel slung low on his hips, water still dripping slightly on his skin. Spencer sucked in a breath and turned back toward the suitcase, trying to avoid looking anywhere but at his lover. The last thing he needed was to try and indulge in something like that right now. His body was aching in too many ways for it to be smart to indulge in any of those kinds of activities. A mostly restless night had done nothing good for his backache and if he gave in to the urge in him to go over and chase those droplets of water on Remy’s warm skin…with his tongue…he shivered a little and cut that thought off. No, no. Not a good plan.

A snicker from Remy told him his lover knew exactly what he was thinking about. Blindly Spencer grabbed a pair of boxers and chucked them over his shoulder, turning Remy’s snicker to an outright laugh. “Toss me m’ black slacks too, would y’, cher? Y’r looking so nice and slick, I gotta make sure I look nice enough to be with y’.”

“As if you have to try.” Spencer scoffed and turned to hand Remy the requested slacks. He gave him a baleful look. “Whereas I have to put effort into looking this way, you could roll out of bed in wrinkled clothes and still manage to look good.”

Remy took the slacks and glared at him. “When are y’ gonna learn how good y’ look, Spencer? Swear, y’ drive me crazy sometimes.” He shook his head as he bent and pulled the pants on. “Y’r so _beau_ and y’ don’t even see it.”

When Remy straightened to zip and button his pants, Spencer couldn’t help but lean in and steal a kiss. He was smiling when he pulled back, one hand coming up to stroke over his cheek. “You’re just slightly biased, baby. But seeing as how I’m not worried about looking good for anyone but you, your bias works in my favor.”

“Y’ always look _beau_ to me.” Rubbing his cheek against Spencer's hand, Remy’s eyes drifted shut a little bit. “Like it better when y’ don’t try, me. When y’r in m’ shirt sitting in our bed with y’r head all mussed and dat sleepy look on y’r face. Dat’s m’ favorite look.”

He stroked his thumb over Remy’s cheekbone, tracing the planes of a face he knew so well. “I don’t know if I could pick a favorite look for you.” He admitted quietly. His eyes traveled over Remy’s face, drinking in the love there, letting it fill and warm him. “I love when you’re fresh from the shower and you smell like your soap and you. I love when you’re wearing nothing but a pair of jeans that sit low on your hips. I love when you’re dressing to impress, or dressing casually, or when you’re in your uniform. But if I had to pick…” Pausing, he chuckled at himself a little. “You’ll probably laugh at me, but I love when you’re fresh from a workout in the danger room. Usually you’ve pulled your shirt off and you’re in just boots and jeans, a hint of boxers at the top, all flushed and sweaty from working out and you just…mm. And I’m going to stop there, as I’m not helping myself at all with this.”

Spencer was still chuckling at himself as he took a step back from Remy. The Cajun watched him, heat in his eyes and a small smile on his lips. “Y’ never told me dat b’fore.”

“Haven’t you ever stopped to think why I was so willing to work out with you, Remy?” Smirking, Spencer winked before moving toward the bathroom to brush his teeth, enjoying the warm laughter from behind him.

“I’m gonna remember dat one in de future.” Remy called back to him. “When I need to make y’ want me, just get a quick workout.”

Pausing with his toothbrush at his mouth, Spencer grinned at his reflection. “Or breathe.”

“ _Quoi_?”

“So long as you’re breathing, I’ll want you, Remy LeBeau.”

He felt Remy’s enjoyment and had to smile to himself. This was a good start to the morning.

CXCX

By the time the two men finished off their breakfast and made it to William’s office, Spencer was already ready to turn around and go back to the hotel. His stomach wasn’t taking breakfast very well, nerves were dancing around inside of him that wasn’t helping the nausea at all, and the boys were kicking up a storm. Add on the backache that seemed to be his constant companion lately and it all made for one very short tempered young genius. His brain couldn’t seem to stop looping, wondering what was going on here, what plan his father could have. All of his actions so far seemed to only serve the purpose of pissing Spencer off. But that couldn’t be his ultimate goal. There was no way. He had to have some greater purpose to this all. But _what_?

“Y’ okay over dere, _mon cœur_?”

Drawn back to the present, Spencer blinked to clear his eyes, looking out the windshield right as Remy was parking the car. He sighed as he processed Remy’s question. “I don’t know if okay is rightly the word I’d choose.” Absently he rubbed his hand over his stomach, trying to soothe the kicking in there. “I feel like we’re part of some game, Remy. Only I don’t know what game, I don’t know what the rules are, and I’ve no idea if the other player is even playing by those rules or making them up as they go. I’m stumbling blindly here and that is a sensation I strongly abhor.”

Remy put the car in park and turned the keys, shutting off the engine. Then he turned in his seat to look seriously at Spencer's face. “Talking to him might not give us de answers, cher. Y’ gotta t’ink about dat. Dere’s no telling if he’s gonna actually answer y’ or if he’s gonna feed y’ another line of BS. We could walk outta dis more in de dark dan when we started, yeah.”

“I know.” There was a high likelihood that William would try to feed him some story, some cover up for his true purposes. Spencer didn’t believe that they’d walk in and the man would simply spill his guts. Still, he had to talk to him. “I just, I have to try, Remy. I have to.”

“ _Je sais_.” One of Remy’s hands lifted, brushing over his cheek. He leaned in, giving Spencer a loving kiss. “ _Je t’aime, mon amour. Mon cœur_.”

As always, those words warmed Spencer inside like nothing else ever could. “I love you too.”

Together, the two climbed from the car and, joining hands at the hood, made their way into the law firm. The last time Spencer had been here, he’d been accusing his father of the murder of Riley Jenkins. This time…this time he had no idea what he was walking into, but it left a sour feeling in the bottom of his stomach. That feeling grew when, once they got to the desk and announced who they were, the receptionist smiled and said “Mr. Reid’s expecting you. Right this way, please.”

Expecting him? He was expecting him? Spencer felt Remy’s worry grow a little just like his. The two held hands just a little tighter as they started to follow the woman. She stopped at the sight of Remy, a polite look covering her face. “My apologies, Sir, but he said he’s only expecting his son…”

“Then he’ll get a surprise.” Spencer cut in. No way was he leaving Remy out here. No way in hell. He wasn’t dumb enough to go in here alone and he definitely wasn’t dumb enough to think that Remy would’ve allowed it even if he’d asked. This was one of those situations that Spencer knew Remy would stand his ground even if he thought it would piss Spencer off. He would never allow William Reid to be alone with Spencer ever again; not knowing the things about the man that he did. For that, Spencer was eternally grateful. He didn’t want to be alone with William. Ever.

The woman looked as if she was about to debate this before changing her mind. She turned back around and led them down a long hallway. At the end, she knocked on a door, poking her head inside. “Mr. Reid? Your guests have arrived.”

From inside the room they heard William’s voice. “Thank you, cheryl. Let them in.”

The woman, cheryl, stepped back and gestured with her hand for them to enter. With one last deep breath, Spencer led the way into the room, Remy moving behind him a little so they could get through the door, though never once did he let go of his hand. Spencer's eyes immediately went to the man that was rising from behind the desk as they walked inside. He didn’t pay any attention to cheryl shutting the door or even to the way Remy moved up protectively alongside him. All he could focus on was a man he had spent so many nights cursing.

“Spencer! Come in, come in.” William’s voice sounded almost…friendly. His expression was happy and so were his emotions. Why did that worry him even more? The man gestured at the chairs across from his desk. “Please, the both of you have a seat.”

Half of Spencer didn’t want to sit. The other half of him laughed mockingly at the idea of staying standing. His back most definitely approved of the idea of a chair. Trying not to wince, he let Remy help him down into a chair, sighing only slightly at the eased pressure on his back. “Dad…”

“Would either of you like a drink?” William cut in. He skirted around his desk, going to the little sideboard against the wall.

Spencer took a deep breath and looked past Remy, who was taking a seat in the chair right beside him, his eyes going over to where William looked to be pouring himself a drink. “No, Dad. We came here to talk, not drink. There are some questions I’d like answered.”

“Of course, of course. All in due time, Spencer. Are you sure neither of you want anything?”

What the hell? “Yes, I’m sure.” Frustration tinged his tone. At the same time, one of the boys gave a particularly hard kick, making him wince slightly and reach to rub at his stomach. Remy turned toward him, one hand moving to try to help soothe, and everything seemed to happen all at once. Spencer saw something out of the corner of his eye that snapped his head up. There was no time to react, no time to do anything but watch as William stepped right up behind Remy and slammed something into the back of his head. Hard. Spencer saw the surprise and pain on Remy’s face and felt it in the link before the man slumped forward, dropping down to the ground. Spencer started to move toward him instinctively and was stopped by a single, terrifying sound. The sound of a gun cocking. He lifted his face, staring with wide eyes as William pointed a gun directly at him. “Ah, ah, _son_. Stay right where you are.”

“Dad.” The word came out on an aching croak. Spencer's body, his mind, felt absolutely numb. He couldn’t think, couldn’t feel, could do nothing but sit there in shock and stare. “What…?”

“What am I doing? Is that your question?” All signs of kindness were gone from William’s voice and expression. His words were hard and sharp. Mocking. “What I’ve _done_ , my dear son, is made myself a very, very rich man.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled something out and threw it at Spencer. The young genius fumbled to catch them. It took him a second to realize what he was looking at. They were…zip ties. Zip ties? William saw his confusion and sneered. “Put them on your little fuck toy there, wrists and ankles, and then on your hands too. Now. And I’m watching, Spencer, so don’t try anything funny.”

Spencer forced himself to move out of the chair, going down on his knees to get to his partner. The first thing he saw was blood on the back of Remy’s head and he wanted to scream. “Why are you doing this?” He asked shakily as he pulled Remy’s limp arms together and slipped the zip tie over his wrists. “How is this making you rich?”

“It’s simple, really.” Mocking laughter bubbled up from William. He watched closely as Spencer moved to Remy’s ankles, sliding the zip tie on there and tightening it. “I always knew you were a freak. Apparently, you’re an even bigger freak than I thought. You and the fuck there.” His gun shifted, moving with Spencer as the young man pushed back up off the floor, rising up to his feet. “Someone approached me a few weeks back, told me my freak of a son had managed to actually get pregnant. Not that I gave a fuck. What did I care about you and your mutie partner having babies, huh?”

Spencer had to use his teeth to tighten the zip tie on his own wrists. He watched William walk over to the door and lock it. The whole time the gun stayed steady on Spencer. He couldn’t risk doing anything right now, not with Remy hurt and a gun pointed this way. Not when something could happen to hurt the babies. _I can’t even use my powers, really. Hank wants me to lay off the electricity until the babies are born._ Hank was worried about what the charge inside of him might do to the babies if he tried to use it, so he’d been restricted on using his electrical powers for the rest of his pregnancy. Right now, that meant he was weaponless. Except for his mouth and his mind.

William gestured toward the chair with his gun. “Sit.”

As soon as Spencer was seated, William moved to the other side of his desk, picking up his phone and pressing a button. He put it to his ear and stared at Spencer silently for a moment. Then abruptly he was saying “They’re here. Come get them.” Before nodding and finally hanging up. What the hell was going on here?

He didn’t realize he’d said that question out loud until William let out another of those mocking laughs. “Haven’t you figured it out yet, Spencer? Your brain always ran faster than your mouth. What, did pregnancy make you stupid?” Smirking, he made his way around the desk, going right up toward him.  “There are people who will pay a lot of money for that little spawn you’ve made. Apparently a freak baby made by two freaks I’m told are something called omega…well, it’s a hot commodity.”

 _Oh my God_. Spencer wasn’t the least bit religious and yet that was the only thought in his head. _Oh my God._ William wanted to…to _sell_ his babies. Oh sweet God.

“Getting you to Vegas was easy. Getting you to come here, that required thought.” The gun shook a little as he gestured toward Spencer with it. “I had to figure out a way to make sure you came to see me, seeing as how you avoid me like crazy. So I figured I’d piss you off. And it worked! Here you are. And in the next little bit, someone’s gonna come take you and this shit…” he kicked a foot at Remy, making Spencer jump. “…off my hands, and I’m going to be one rich man. So you see, everyone’s happy.”

Lifting his eyes, Spencer looked at the face of a monster and a wave of anger like he’d never felt washed over him. The hell if he was going to let this man take away his children and the hell if he was going to let him win this. “You son of a bitch.” The words hissed out of him before he could stop them.

The next thing he knew, William’s hand jerked and pain exploded over Spencer's face as the butt of the gun hit him. “Watch your mouth!”

“Go to hell.” Spencer spat back out. He pushed up to his feet, temper giving him the courage and the strength to rise. “You think I’m going to let you do this? You think I’m just going to sit here and wait patiently for someone to come and take me and take my babies from me?” Lifting his bound hands, he held them out toward William, palms flat. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to use his powers, but William didn’t know that. “What makes you think I won’t electrocute you right where you stand?”

Without batting an eye, William shifted the direction of his gun, pointing it down toward Remy. “Because I may not be able to shoot you, but I can shoot him. Can you electrocute me before I put a bullet in his brain?”

There was a small pulse of emotion over the link in Spencer's mind, a flash of pain and fear and anger, and he knew that Remy was waking up. To try to distract William from that, Spencer took a step in the opposite direction of Remy, drawing William’s eyes away from the man. _If I can keep him talking, keep him focused on me, Remy should be able to get out of those zip ties easily. I’ve never seen anything that can restrain the man for long. Simple little zip ties should be nothing. Please, hurry, Remy! Hurry, before whoever the hell is coming gets here!_ “I can’t believe you’d do this.” He spat the words out, fury lacing through them. “I can’t believe you’d sell out your own grandchildren!”

William’s eyes traveled over Spencer's stomach and his sneer grew. “So there’s more than one, huh? No wonder you look huge. I think the price just went up a little more.” He looked pleased by that.

“Don’t you have any humanity in you?” Spencer knew it was pointless to beg; it would get him nowhere. But he needed William’s eyes to stay on him. He could feel as Remy grew more and more alert. _Hurry up, baby!_ “These are innocent children. Can you imagine what these people are going to do to them? Your own flesh and blood, Dad. No matter how much you hate me, these kids are your flesh and blood. Can you honestly stand here and sell them this way?”

“Without hesitation.”

That anger was boiling in Spencer again. His hands drew back in, resting protectively on his stomach. “Then you’re a bigger bastard than I ever thought you were.”

The smile William wore grew a little more smug. “Ah, but I’ll be a rich bastard. And you? I’ll never have to deal with you again.”

A sudden, strong pulse of warning came over the link and Spencer jumped off to the side, toward the door, drawing William’s attention even more. At the same time, Remy’s hand shot up from the ground, a charged card flying from his hand to hit William and explode, sending him flying backwards. In a flash, Remy was sitting up, cutting the tie from his feet. He had another card charged and flying before William could even try to get up from where he’d hit the wall. Even as he flung it, he was launching upwards, racing toward Spencer. The young genius was already unlocking the door and yanking it open. Faster than he’d thought possible, he shot off down the hallway, Remy right on his heels. He felt Remy’s hand thread through his and heard as the man threw another card down the hall behind them, blocking William from coming. Then the two were racing into the lobby and toward the front door.

Spencer skidded slightly as they started out the door and if it wasn’t for Remy having a hand on him, he might’ve went straight down. His lover jerked him up straight and they kept running. There was no time to stop; they raced straight to the car.  Remy yanked the one of the back doors open on the car, almost shoving Spencer inside. The two jerked down as the sound of gunshots ripped across the parking lot. As soon as Spencer was in, Remy slammed the door shut and then opened the driver’s door, yanking out his keys. Another shot came, hitting the windshield. Spencer cursed and dropped lower. As best he could, he curled around his stomach, trying to protect the children in there. His eyes clenched shut as he listened to the car roar to life and then it was in gear and Remy was almost tearing out of the parking lot. There were more gunshots and then the sound of squealing tires and Spencer clung tighter to himself.

The anger was draining away now, the adrenaline that had carried him this far. Spencer shut his eyes even tighter. His babies. His own father had been trying to sell his _babies_! Who would do that? Who would _buy children?_ How could they do something like that? How could his own father?

The car slowed suddenly. Spencer didn’t care. He curled up even more, his heart hammering. He didn’t even notice when the car went in park. But he felt as Remy climbed over the seat and into the back with him. When something flicked across the tie on his wrists, cutting the tie away, Spencer jerked before quickly flattening his hands over his stomach. The feel of the kicks there were like heaven. Reminders that the boys were alive, they were okay. Air hitched in and out of his lungs sharply, ripping from him in agonizing bursts.

“Spencer, cher.” Remy’s hands were on him, trying to sit him up, and there was something like terror in his voice. Hearing it, feeling it, feeling those hands on him, Spencer reacted before he could think. He sat up and flung his arms around the man, almost falling into him. Remy caught him easily and folded him close, practically pulling him into his lap. In the squashed backseat of their rental car, Spencer curled into Remy and found himself sobbing. The terror of it all finally caught up with him and he could do nothing but ride out the wave of it in the one place in the world he could always count on to feel safe.


	15. Chapter 15

How long it took before he could finally control his sobs enough to breathe normally again, Spencer had no idea. Remy weathered the storm with him, holding him close and trying to make soothing sounds. One hand held Spencer's head close to him while the other was curled protectively over his belly, gently rubbing at the side of it. Eventually, the terror and pain lessened enough that Spencer could actually hear his words. “Sh, sh, _mon amour_ , it’s gonna be okay. Y’r okay. I’m right here and I got y’. Sh, cher. Aint gonna let not’ing else happen to y’. _Je t’aime, mon cœur. Je t’aime._ ”

Air shuddered in and out of Spencer's chest. He clung just a little bit tighter to Remy. “We need to get out of here.” His words were hoarse, his throat sore from crying. “We need to go home.”

“ _Je sais._ But we’re safe right now.” Now that Remy knew Spencer was, well, _coherent_ once more, he turned his attention to the important things. “Spencer, are y’ hurt? Did he hurt y’ or de lil ones?”

The thought of the babies being hurt was almost enough to bring back Spencer's hysteria. He brought one hand down, leaving the other around Remy, and pressed it against his stomach. The boys were kicking as if in response to his stress; enough so that it hurt. “They seem okay. Overactive, but okay.” And oh, God, that was the biggest relief. A few more tears slid out at the thought of what might’ve happened.

Remy’s hands tightened just a little bit, but Spencer felt the flare of relief. They both knew that movement was good. Of course, he was going to have to get a full physical just to make sure everything was fine, but movement was a good thing. If they had stopped moving, then it would’ve been cause for concern. Remy’s relief faded away abruptly when he realized Spencer hadn’t answered the first part of his question, though. The hand he had on Spencer's head moved enough to thread in his hair and tip his face upwards. Spencer winced, knowing what was coming. He wasn’t disappointed. When his face was finally up, he saw the fury that snapped into Remy’s eyes and the way his whole face went tight as he took in the bruising and blood on Spencer's cheek. Getting hit by the gun had not only bruised his cheek, but split the skin a little on his cheekbone. Cajun curses slid past Remy’s lips. He reached down into his coat, pulling out a handkerchief that he then pressed to Spencer's cheek. “I oughta go back dere and bash him in de face and let him see how he likes it. _Merde_ , I oughta do a whole lot more dan dat.”

“What about you?” Spencer interrupted. He lifted his hand, brushing fingertips over Remy’s cheek. “He hit you pretty hard. Are you okay?”

“Pft.” That sound was full of derision and disgust, as if the very idea of William hurting him was offensive. “Been hit worse dan dat by Wolvie in training sessions. Aint me I’m worried bout here, cher. Worried about y’. Aint gonna feel better till Henri looks at y’, neither. Now, tell me what happened, Spencer. Need to know.”

Spencer spoke in a halting voice, his words hitching slightly here and there as he walked Remy through everything that had happened while he’d been out. When he was done, tears were slipping down his cheeks again. Remy bent in, pressing their foreheads together and sighing. They said nothing for a moment, only sharing love back and forth. After a second, he shifted Spencer slightly so he could reach down into another pocket and pull out his phone at the same time as gathering his composure. The look on his face was serious; it was his ‘work face’, as Spencer described it. Calm, collected. Even his emotions had settled down to a steadiness that Spencer knew belied the fury and fear that would be simmering underneath. Remy opened his phone and started scrolling contacts. Spencer just sat there and watched, his one hand still rubbing over his stomach to try and soothe the furious kicking in there. He watched as Remy found the number he wanted and hit send before putting the phone up to his ear.

It only took a second for someone to answer. _“Hello?”_

“Scotty, need y’ to come get us.” Remy wasted no time in saying. He didn’t give Scott a chance to say anything before he launched into a shortened summary of what had happened. He wrapped it up by saying “Got us parked someplace safe f’ now. Aint dumb enough to go back to de hotel, me.”

_“Stay low and stay safe. Spencer would be easy to spot and report back to people. I’m grabbing a team now and we’ll be on the jet and out of here in no more than ten minutes.”_

“ _Merci_. We’re safe enough here. Just hurry, Fearless.”

When Remy got done with his phone call, he turned his attention back to Spencer's face. A few dabs with the handkerchief and he sighed. “It aint bleeding no more, but it’s gonna hurt f’ a while. _Je suis désolé_ , Spencer.”

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.” Spencer insisted.

“ _Non_. Remy shoulda protected y’ better’n dat. Shouldn’t have let de _homme_ get de drop on me dat way. Should never have let him hurt y’.” Gentle fingers ghosted over the aching spot on Spencer's cheek. Remy’s eyes were wide and aching and the guilt he felt brought back some of Spencer's tears.

The young genius reached up, taking Remy’s hand and lacing their fingers together. He lifted his chin and locked their eyes together, wanting Remy to see and hear and feel what he was about to say so that he could know the truth of it. “This wasn’t your fault, honey. Neither one of us had any idea that he would ever do something like this. It was not something we could have prepared for. And when it came down to it, you protected us. All of us. Just like I knew you would.”

“ _Mais_ …”

“But nothing, honey. You saved us. When he had me put the ties on, I knew you’d break free once you woke up. I have met nothing so far that your talented hands can’t find some way to break free from.” That was said with a teasing tone that brought a tiny smile to Remy’s lips, exactly as Spencer had wanted. Lifting his head a little, he brushed a kiss over Remy’s lips. “Neither one of us could have predicted that, but you saved us and you got us out of there. Thank you. Thank you so very much.”

Some of that aching look faded off of Remy’s face. He bent down, giving Spencer another kiss. “ _Je t’aime_.”

“I love you too.” Curling back in, Spencer held their laced hands closed to his heart.

CXCX

The arrival of their friends went almost exactly as Spencer had known it would. They called to let them know of their arrival and where to go and Remy drove the car to them. Almost the instant they were there, Spencer found himself bundled into the Blackbird and then he was getting a basic exam from Hank while Logan, Remy and Bobby all went to the hotel to gather Spencer and Remy’s things and check them out. Scott hovered nearby while Hank took Spencer's vitals and then checked him over as best as he could manage in the back of a jet. He asked him about any pain and a ton of different questions about the babies, all of which Spencer answered as best as he could.

By the time the others came back, Spencer was declared as fit as Hank could find for now—though he promised more testing and a more thorough exam upon arrival at home—and now it was Remy’s turn. Everyone loaded in and Scott started them for home while Hank took time to look at Remy’s head and finally bandage it up, firmly telling him he was lucky he didn’t need stitches for it.

Spencer, surprisingly enough, found himself drifting on the flight back home. He was woken up by Remy’s hands cupping his face and warm Cajun words being whispered to him. It startled him to realize that they were home.

“C’mon, _allée chat_. Let’s go let Henri look at y’ one last time and den we’ll get y’ in bed and get y’ somet’ing to eat, _oui_? Dat sound _bon_ to y’?” Remy murmured. He gently coaxed Spencer up and to his feet and then wrapped an arm around him to lead him into the Med Lab. There, the young genius was subjected to every test Hank could think of, it felt like. Spencer honestly stopped paying much attention after a while. So far everything was coming out positive and he didn’t feel like there was anything wrong except for the ache in his face and in his back and ankles. The first ache was to be expected, seeing as how he’d been hit there, and the last two were sadly becoming common in his days. The boys had even finally calmed their kicking down!

Eventually, though, Hank released them to their room. But not before giving Spencer news that had the man scowling. “Your body has been through a great stress and, though things are checking out well, I do not feel the need to test how well that is. On that note, I am putting you on bed rest for the next week, simply as a precaution.”

“A week of bed rest?” Spencer couldn’t keep the disbelief out of his tone. “Really, Hank, are you kidding me? I was struck in the face and a little stressed out. That’s no reason to confine me to bed for a week!”

Hank calmly waited until Spencer finished before shaking his head at him. “Your body has been put through prolonged stress since this first started with your parents and you first fainted in your office. Now, with these events, I am not willing to take the risk of your body undergoing any further stress. One week, Spencer. If you show all signs of being fine at the end of the week, the restriction will be lifted. Until then, it stands.”

He couldn’t believe it. Oh, sure, he’d known there was a chance he’d end up on bed rest at some point in this pregnancy. The fact that he was a male meant the chance of more complications and some of those complications could be eased by bed rest. Add in that it was a multiples pregnancy and the chance of bed rest increased. Still, this seemed ridiculous! And how was he supposed to entertain himself for a whole _week_ , stuck in bed? It was going to be horrible. He was not one for being idle. Doing nothing did not interest him in the least bit. To make it worse, Hank stood right there in front of him and deliberately turned to Remy to say “I trust he’d ignore this, so I’m making a point to tell you. The only time I want him up and walking is to use the bathroom. I do not want him even standing for a shower. He is to take a bath instead. Most of the time should be spent lying on his side if he is lying down. Otherwise, being slightly elevated in bed is an acceptable choice. Plenty of pillows can help with that. But he is not to be downstairs even for meals. And he is not to work, _at all_. That means no paperwork, no phone calls. Nothing. This is to be as stress free a week as possible.”

Remy slanted a look at Spencer, barely restraining the wince that tried to slip out. Still, he got it under control quickly and politely said “ _D’accord_ , Henri. Don’t worry. Remy’ll make sure dat Spencer listens.”

It was a sign of just how flustered and annoyed Spencer was that he didn’t even call Remy out on his third person speech. He couldn’t believe Hank was putting him on a week of bed rest. A scowling pout built on his face. He didn’t want to spend a whole week stuck in bed. What was he going to do with himself? If no one was going to let him work, that would take away one of the few things that might occupy his time. It wasn’t like Remy was going to be able to sit with him twenty four/seven and entertain him. One, Remy had things to do with his day. Two, they’d both go crazy like that. Maybe he could catch up on some reading; really, though, how long would that last him? Half a day? A day?

A hand cupped his elbow and Remy was murmuring to him again, telling him it was time to go. Spencer took the assistance to slip down off the bed. The ache in his back gave a particularly nasty throb when he stood up and he couldn’t help the wince that came out. Big mistake. Hank was right there in an instant, hands out. “What is it?”

As if he needed to give them anything else to worry them! Spencer's scowl grew a little more. “Just my back, Hank. I’ve had a backache of and on the past few days. Entirely normal, considering the weight I’m supporting in my stomach.”

Hank ignored the biting tone to Spencer's words. “What kind of backache? A steady ache, a throb, a cramping sensation?”

“Just a steady ache mostly. It’s been kind of cramping today and yesterday.” The worried look Hank gave him had him sighing a little. “It’s not any worry. It’s just a backache, Hank. I’ve suffered from natural backaches for years. Trust me, I recognize the feeling.”

“You have? Why do I not have this information in your medical records?”

Hank’s started question made Spencer realize what he’d just admitted to. His scowl faded away underneath a grimace. Dammit, he really needed to watch what he was saying. “It’s nothing, Hank. Really. Just one of those things.” Without shame, Spencer turned to look at Remy, trying to quickly find a way to extract himself from this. “Can we go get settled, now? I find I am rather hungry.” Anything, to get him out of here so he wouldn’t have to answer any more questions. He didn’t want to take the time to explain why he suffered from backaches. Hank already knew minimal information about the burns on his back; Spencer had never fully explained it to the man, or the lasting damage that came from it. It wasn’t like it was debilitating or anything of the like. The doctors had said there had been some trauma to the muscles underneath that, at the time, they had felt had healed well. And they had. The only lasting problem he had was a backache that could come and go if he overworked those muscles.

There was a pulse of sympathy from Remy and then his lover was leading him from the room with promises to Hank that he would get Spencer settled into bed straightaway. Together, the two beat a hasty retreat from the labs, making their way up to their room. They’d just made it to the stairs when they ran into Ororo. The regal woman was on the staircase, having obviously just come from up there. At the sight of them she hurried down, hands already held out to them. “I just returned and received word of what happened. Are you all okay?”

Remy gave her a one armed hug, lightly kissing her cheek. “We’re okay, Stormy. Checked out by Henri and every’ting, yeah. Don’t y’ worry none.”

She turned from him to look to Spencer. “And you? You are okay, Spencer? You do not look happy.”

His scowl had long since faded, replaced by a small pout. “Oh, I’m _fine_.” The last word dripped with sarcasm. “Absolutely wonderful. I always look this excited at the prospect of a week of bed rest.”

To her credit, Ororo didn’t laugh at the childlike pout or the whine to Spencer's words. Instead, she stepped up to Spencer's other side, slipping one arm around his waist. “We must all follow our good doctor’s orders, even though there are times we may not see the wisdom of those actions ourselves. We must trust in him that he is doing right by us. Bed rest may be a frustrating prospect for you, yet I am sure you will find a way to make the best of it. Come, why don’t we get you settled? Brother, why don’t you go and find something for him to eat while I get Spencer settled into bed?” And just like that, Ororo calmly took over, starting to lead Spencer up the stairs while telling him something about a new plant she’d brought into her greenhouse, leaving Remy staring at them with a bemused look on his face. Once they were out of sight, he finally turned away and made his way to the kitchen.

When he got in there, he found Scott and Jean already in there. Scott was sitting at the bar with a glass of what looked to be iced tea while Jean was at the fridge, pulling out things to make what Remy guessed would be sandwiches. At his entrance, Scott looked up, his attention sharpening when he saw who it was. “Hey! How is he? Hank didn’t want any of us coming in there and overwhelming him.”

“Everyt’ing checked out fine.” Remy said with a smile meant to reassure them. “Henri’s a lil worried bout his stress levels though, so he’s put Spencer on bed rest f’ de next week. Was just getting him to de room when Stormy caught me on de stairs and took over. ‘m under orders to get Spencer somet’ing to eat while she settles him in.”

Jean turned from the fridge and set down the lunchmeat in her hands before gesturing towards where Scott was sitting. “Have a seat, Remy. I’ll make him something.”

“ _Non, merci._ Rather stand, me.” He doubted he could be still enough to sit right now. He stuffed his hands down into his pockets and fought the urge to start pacing. Underneath the smiling mask he wore, temper was brewing in him until he felt like he’d explode from it. He was fighting as hard as he could to control it before it he got back around Spencer. The last thing the man needed was something to stress him out even more. Not after the day he’d had. Damn that bastard for doing this. Damn him for daring to try to do something so, so, _horrendous_. How could he? No matter how many times he encountered it, Remy could never understand how someone could justify selling another human being.

Scott interrupted his thoughts, his voice low and careful. “And how about you? How’re you doing?” In that question was honest concern that Remy could feel just as well as he could hear. For anyone else, he might’ve just brushed it off. He might’ve put a little more effort into his smile and reassured them that he was fine, just as he always was. He might’ve even made some joke to distract them and to make them laugh. This wasn’t just anyone, though. Scott was watching him steadily, honestly wanting to know how he was doing, and even though Remy opened his mouth to reassure the man that he was fine, something else entirely came out. “Remy wants to go kill de _homme_.” That admission seemed to open the floodgates and Remy couldn’t keep the words back. His eyes slammed shut and his hands balled into fists in his pockets, his whole body going tense. “He was gonna sell our boys, Scotty. _Sell dem_. Like dey’re not’ing more dan animals t’ him! He did all dis, fucked with Spencer's _mere_ , put him t’rough all dat stress, just to trick Spencer out dere so he could pass him off to dese _connards_ dat wanted to buy _mes enfants_! So how de fuck do y’ t’ink Remy is, Scotty? Huh?”

The obvious pain, the raw and exposed agony that seemed so unlike their cocky Cajun, had Jean stopping what she was doing and staring at him achingly. She started to say Remy’s name, needing to do something to relieve the pain, when Scott gave her a small shake of his head. She caught his thoughts, his gentle _//Leave this to me, honey//_ and she kept quiet, trusting that he knew what he was doing.

Scott leaned back a little in his chair, turning fully to face his friend. “I think you’re pissed.” He answered him. “I think you’re pissed and terrified and I think that you have every right to feel that way after having such a hellish morning.”

“Wanna go back dere, Scotty.” Opening his eyes, Remy looked at his boss, his friend, and fought to control the quiver of anger that ran down him. “Wanna go back dere and demand he tell Remy who de hell his buyer was. Wanna go hunting and take down anyone dat t’inks dey can touch m’ man or _mes enfants_.”

“We’ll find them.” Those words were said with such confidence, such strength, it was almost easy to believe. “We’ll go hunting and we’ll find out who’s behind this. And trust me, we’ll do whatever we need to so we can stop it. No one touches family.” At Remy’s surprised look, Scott flashed a sharp grin. “I told you, I’m acting as honorary uncle with these kids. You think I won’t protect my nephews? I’ve already started putting out feelers to see what the word on the street is. Logan’s left as soon as we got back to go talk to some people in town that might be able to get us answers. For now, you just leave this to me.”

While Remy stood there staring at him with surprise, Scott rose from his chair and reached over, taking the tray that Jean had just finished putting together. He carried it over and held it out to Remy. “Right now, you focus on you and Spencer and those boys. Take this up there, make sure he eats, and focus on you guys right now. Trust that your family has your back. We’ll figure out who’s behind this, Remy. You two aren’t in this fight alone.”

Words dried up in Remy’s throat. His hands closed over the edge of the tray and he looked at Scott, trying to swallow the lump that suddenly built in his throat. “ _Merci_.” The word was a little choked, thick with emotion that he didn’t typically show. “ _Merci_ , Scotty.”

The man grinned at him and reached out, copying a move he’d picked up from Spencer and had taken to doing when he wanted to irk Remy a little. He tugged on a bit of his hair, just to be obnoxious. “I told you, family takes care of their own.”


	16. Chapter 16

There were people in and out of their room for most of the day. Once Remy came back with the food, Ororo had stayed around to make sure he ate it. No sooner had she finally left than Rogue came to see him, with Jubilee popping in moments after. No one seemed to mind that Spencer spent a good chunk of time with his cheeks tinted pink from embarrassment at having to talk to everyone while in bed. Thankfully, Ororo had helped him get propped up by pillows, so at least he wasn’t lying down. That would’ve been mortifying. What made it worse was that Remy was called out at some point for one reason or another—Spencer hadn’t been able to hear over the chattering of the girls beside him—and then he’d been left alone with no one to run interference between him and the women that seemed to want to smother him with attention. For someone who was used to being independent, who still had problems letting _Remy_ take care of him sometimes, this much attention was not only uncomfortable, but unsettling as well.

He’d been with company for a few hours when salvation finally came. Remy had finished with whatever he’d been called out for and he stood now in their bedroom door, looking around the room and shaking his head before calling out “Oy! Everyone, listen up!”

All eyes turned toward the Cajun. Betsy and Kitty were in chairs beside the bed while Rogue was standing at the foot of it and Jubilee was actually sitting _on_ his bed. Remy looked at them and gave another shake of his head. “Now, I know y’all got de best of intentions, but y’r gonna fluster de po’ _homme_ to death here. Why don’t y’ go on and give him some space f’ a bit, eh? Been a long day and he’s supposed to be resting.”

With promises to visit him later, the girls slowly left the room. When they were finally gone and the door was shut, Spencer gave Remy a look of gratitude. “Thank you.” He said fervently.

Chuckling, Remy strolled toward their bed. “Dey mean well enough.”

“I know they do. I just…”

Remy sat on the edge of the bed and reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind Spencer's ear. “Y’ just don’t do well with people trying to take care of y’. _Je sais, mon cher._ ”

In the bundle of sensations that was Remy in his mind, Spencer could feel a slight undercurrent. The same love was there, bright and fierce as always. But there was something else, something that had Spencer cocking his head and looking curiously at him, trying to figure it out. Remy stared right back without a word, their eyes locking together. Spencer opened himself up to Remy’s emotions, letting himself feel them, trying to figure out what that little undercurrent was. The act of opening himself up to them made it all a little clearer, though. Love was the strongest emotion. It always was. There was also a protectiveness that Spencer had grown used to feeling from Remy. Next, lightly laced through all this, one emotion that had Spencer cursing himself for not realizing it earlier. Fear. How could he have not seen this before? Of course Remy was afraid. This hadn’t happened to just Spencer; this had happened to Remy too. Guilt ate at Spencer's insides.

Remy’s eyebrows furrowed down as he felt Spencer's guilt. “Cher?”

“Come here.” Spencer patted the bed beside him, watching as Remy quickly pulled his shoes and coat off, setting his shoes by the bed and hanging his coat from the bedpost, and then the Cajun was climbing into the bed right up beside him. They both shifted around, finally ending up on their sides, face to face. One of Remy’s hands automatically went to Spencer's stomach, stroking it lightly through his shirt. Spencer brought a hand up and let his fingers trace over the light stubble on Remy’s cheek. He moved in just enough that their foreheads pressed together. “Hi.” He breathed out softly. A small smile quirked Remy’s lips. “ _Bonjour_.” He whispered back.

“I love you.” He backed the words with a wave of that love, letting it spill over to Remy. Gently, he brushed a kiss over the older man’s lips. “We’re safe, honey. I’m safe and our boys are safe.” He felt the fear in Remy spasm slightly and he pushed more love at him, trying to wrap it around his partner. “I’m safe, honey.” Another kiss, just as gentle, just as sweet. “I’m right here. Can you feel us? Feel your boys under your hand? We’re all right here and we’re going to be okay.”

He felt the little quiver that ran down Remy’s frame and he watched as the eyes he so loved slid closed. There was a tightness that came to Remy’s features that showed the first crack in his control. As much as Spencer hated to see Remy hurting, he knew he needed this. He needed this desperately. Anger, he could work through. He’d most likely end up in the Danger Room with Logan at some point and they’d pound on one another until Remy burnt that anger out. But the fear…that was something that Spencer would have to help him through, or Remy would simply shove it down and ignore it as best as he could. To do that, Spencer opened their link wider, letting everything warm and loving that he felt flow back and forth between them, adding them to the love he was already wrapping around Remy. His fingers went back to stroking Remy’s face, tracing that high cheekbone, over his eyebrow, his jawline, his lips. “It’s okay, honey.” Spencer kept his voice a soft whisper. “It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay. You don’t have to hold that in, Remy. It’s just you and me in here right now, no one else. Just you and me. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. Don’t hide this from me.”

Another quiver ran through Remy, more like a shudder this time. His hand stopped stroking Spencer's stomach and moved to slip under his shirt, pressing flat against the tight skin. Spencer didn’t say anything about it. He knew Remy needed that skin to skin contact. If it hadn’t been for his belly, Spencer would’ve had Remy cradled close to let the man touch as needed. The touches wouldn’t have been sexual in nature; this was about reassurance. About grounding himself and finding comfort in the contact that let him know they were both alive and well.

Lines appeared around Remy’s closed eyes as he squeezed them a little tighter shut. “Aint never been so terrified in m’ life.” The words came out so hoarse. There was an edge to them that told just how close to breaking he really was. “I woke up and I could hear y’ two and when I peeked, I saw de gun.”  Another shudder, stronger this time. “Stopped m’ heart, Spencer. I can’t lose y’. I just, I can’t. Y’ or de boys. Y’r m’ life. M’ other half. De thought of losing y’, of being without y’…” He trailed off, unable to even finish the sentence.

A soft sound slipped from Spencer. He leaned in, kissing Remy’s lips. “I’m right here.” He murmured between kisses. “I’m right here, baby. I love you. I love you.” Spencer shifted just a little, moving just enough that he could draw Remy’s head forward, tucking him in close. Remy moved eagerly to him, his body curling around Spencer's belly, his face burying against the younger man’s chest. One of Spencer's arms was folding under him, Remy’s head on it like a pillow, and Spencer's other hand was stroking Remy’s hair. Here, cradled close to Spencer with no one else around to see, Remy broke down in a way he never allowed himself to around anyone else. Trembles ran through him from head to toe and his breath puffed in and out of him like he was running a marathon. Spencer felt the telltale moisture against his shirt and knew the silent tears were falling. He kept stroking Remy’s hair, holding him close and whispering over and over that he was there and they were okay and reminding Remy that he loved him. That he would always love him. He held him through it all, letting Remy purge out that fear that had been eating at him, knowing he’d be better for it in the end.

As the trembling slowly faded and the tears gradually stopped, neither man moved. Neither wanted to. Together they lay there, clinging to each other, and nothing else mattered for them but one another. They were all each other needed right then. Snuggled together with their boys essentially between them, the two stayed wrapped in each other’s love, needing no more words right then. They only needed each other.

CXCX

It was hours later when a knock sounded on their door. At first, both men were content to ignore it, wanting nothing more than to stay as they were. They’d drifted a little as they lay there, warm and safe together in their bed. It was kind of like being alone in their own little island of blankets. Lying like this had been the perfect remedy to everything they’d gone through. Though they hadn’t spoken a word, it had done them both wonders. Just being close, touching, feeling the boys moving here and there, letting their emotions just flow openly back and forth…it was perfect. It was a kind of reaffirmation of their love and their bond and it had eased them in ways they had desperately needed.

But whoever was on the other side knocked again, a little firmer this time, and they knew they couldn’t get away with it. Remy was the one to extend his senses enough to tell him who it was. He sighed and tipped his head up, taking one last kiss from Spencer before calling out “Come in!”

The door opened and Spencer watched over Remy’s shoulder as Logan and Scott came walking in. Their body language was what alerted him first; something was wrong. He could see it in the way they carried themselves, in the lines on their faces. One of his hands went protectively toward his stomach even as he was shifting to sit up a little. Remy’s hands were there, helping him get propped up against the pillows. Then Remy settled in beside him and laced their fingers together. They knew something was going on; they could see it. But what, they had no idea. “What is it?” Spencer asked in a voice that was much calmer than what he felt. He looked right at the two men when they stopped by the bedside. “What’s going on?”

“I just got off the phone with Hotch.” Scott began slowly. “He called your office line.”

Aaron? A sick feeling built in Spencer's stomach and he squeezed Remy’s hand a little tighter. “Is everyone okay? Is…is someone hurt?” _Please, let them all be okay. Please let them be okay!_

Logan quickly sought to reassure him. “The team’s fine, kid. None of them are hurt. It…it’s about your Dad.”

That first moment of relief was quickly blotted out by a new worry. His Dad? Did they have news about what had happened, then? Had the man tried something else? And why would Aaron be calling to tell him something about his Dad? All of those thoughts were bouncing around inside of him and somehow he couldn’t make himself speak them out loud. He didn’t have to, though. Remy’s voice cut into the silence. “Whatever it is, just say it straight out, _mes amis_. None of this jumping round. Just tell us.”

After a deep breath, Scott nodded. “Hotch was notified because no one had a way to reach you, Spence. William Reid was found murdered in his office a few hours ago. It looks like someone shot him.”

For a long beat, Spencer could only stare at them. His brain didn’t seem to want to process the words that he’d heard. William, shot? Someone had shot him? And he…he was dead? Spencer licked his lips, his voice sounding strange to his own ears. “You’re sure?”

“They are, kid.” Logan said gently. “It looks like he got shot in the chaos of you guys racing outta there.”

He should feel something about this. He really should. He should feel _something_ , right? So why was he curiously blank? Why did he feel nothing? No pain, no anger, no grief. Just, nothing. What did that say about him? What kind of son was he that he couldn’t even summon up grief? The man had been a constant horror in his life, yes, but he had also been his father. Didn’t he deserve at least some kind of grieving from his only son?

One of the boys stretched and Spencer rubbed at his stomach, trying to soothe them down. He looked downwards, looking at his belly, at where his hand was rubbing soothing circles. His eyes felt startlingly dry. So dry they almost burned. Couldn’t he shed a tear? If not for the man himself, then for what should have been? None came. What grief did he owe him? What grief did he owe a man who had only ever brought him pain? Spencer tried to dig through his memory to find a memory, just one single memory with William that was happy. One that didn’t involve yelling, or hitting, or anything painful. One that wasn’t tainted by anger or violence or fear.

Beside him, Remy gestured at the two men to go ahead and go. He could feel Spencer's contemplation and they could all see the way the man had drawn in on himself. Remy waited until their friends left before he turned toward Spencer, snuggling right up against his side. His hand joined Spencer’s, lightly laying over top of it and rubbing in those circles with him, giving him the same contact Spencer had given him just a bit ago.

Spencer watched their hands, noting the differences between the two. The paleness of his compared to the warmth of Remy’s. His, so much more delicate while Remy’s looked more graceful. “I should feel something.” The words slipped out before he realized he was going to say them. “But I don’t. I don’t feel anything, Remy. What does that say about me?”

“It says y’r human. We grieve for dose we know, dose we love and who love us. William, he was never more dan a stranger to y’.”

The words seemed right, yet Spencer still couldn’t shake that feeling. “I keep trying to think of some memory with him, some moment that we were happy. Maybe if I could find one, I might be able to feel something about this. I might be able to grieve him. But I can’t. I can’t find one moment in my life with him that isn’t tainted by something.” And didn’t that just sound pitiful.  He sighed out a breath and closed his eyes for a moment.  “My brain is telling me that he was horrible to me, but that he’s my father and he deserves some kind of grief. But the rest of me…I can’t summon it up, Rem. I feel the same I would if I heard some stranger died. I’m sorry for the loss of life, but…it’s like you said. He was never more than a stranger to me.”

Remy’s free hand came up, stroking back some of Spencer's hair so he could press a kiss against his temple. “ _Désolé, mon cœur._ ”

It was easy to let himself lean a little. To let Remy’s arm slip behind him and to curl up against his love. There, cradled against Remy’s side, he let himself relax a little. His eyes drifted closed. “Would you stay with me for a little while? Like this?”

“ _Bien sûr_.”

Their hands were no longer stroking his stomach, simply resting there. Curled together this way, they simply sat, drawing strength and support from one another. In that, Spencer found just a tiny bit of peace. And he found that tiny bit of grief. Not for the man he had just found out he’d lost, but for the family that should have been. There should have been love like this in his house. There should have been this kind of love right here between his Mom and his Dad. The love he already felt for his boys, his father should have been able to give to him. But he hadn’t. And for that, Spencer could grieve.


	17. Chapter 17

A whole month had passed since those fateful events in Vegas. The week of bed rest for Spencer had been endured and survived, not just by him but by Remy as well. When it was finally lifted, the two were definitely ready for it to be done. And, though things were just slightly tenser and the people in the house a little more protective than before, life in the mansion had gradually returned to normal. The atmosphere was cheerful with the prospect of Thanksgiving only two days away.

It was partially because of that holiday that Warren and Bobby were on their errand. They were walking down the hallway on their way to go grab Logan as Jean had asked them to when they heard the first shout. The two of them stopped, looking around instinctively to try and figure out where the sound was coming from. They heard it again a second later and their eyes were drawn over to the room right next to Logan’s. The shouting grew a little louder and they realized that the sound was coming from Remy and Spencer's room. Bobby had just started to move forward, thinking to go and see what was going on, when Spencer's voice came through loud and clear “I don’t care!”

“Well, y’ should!” Remy shouted right back. The two in the hall turned to look at each other again, this time with surprise. Remy and Spencer, fighting? They’d witnessed playful fights between the two and semi-serious ones and they’d heard rumors about some of the more serious, but they’d never actually been around to hear those ‘more serious’ ones.

A loud thump sounded against the door, follow by a crash that made Bobby jump and Warren’s head jerk back toward the door. Again they could hear Spencer's voice, loud and angry. “I! Am! Not! A! Child!” Each word was punctuated with another thump and another crash. Spencer sounded furious.

Remy didn’t sound any calmer. “Den stop acting like one!”

The door to Logan’s room opened and the feral came strolling out, catching sight of them standing there right away. “What’s up?” He called out to them as he shut his door. “Ya looking for someone?”

“You.” Warren said slowly. “Jean wants you. Is…is everything okay in there?”

As if to make sure Logan knew what he was talking about, there was another loud crash inside the room and what sounded like something glass shattering. “Out!” Spencer shouted. “Out! Out! Get out!”

Logan snorted and looked over to the door with amusement bright on his face. Before he could answer, the door was yanked open and the three of them had to dodge quickly as a book came flying out only seconds before Remy darted out. The Cajun pulled the door shut behind him. None too soon it would appear as they all heard something else impact with the door. “ _Dieu_!” Remy spat the word out. He brought a hand up, brushing his bangs back from his face. Without his sunglasses on, they all saw as he turned his eyes towards them. “Remy swears, dat man could drive a saint to drink today. Stubborn _couillon_.”

Another thump against the door clearly let him know that Spencer had heard that. Flashing a grin, Remy started moving quickly. He was no fool. He wasn’t going to be right by the door if Spencer decided to come out after him. “Dere a party in de halls here Remy didn’t know about or were y’all just here f’ de floor show?”

“I hear it just fine in my own room.” Logan’s voice was dry but there was a spark of humor there that took the serious edge off his words.

Remy chuckle and winked at his friend. “Just bet y’ do, _mon ami_.”

“Shove it, Gumbo.”

“Aint dat what we was talking about?” Laughing, Remy darted away from the swipe of Logan’s claws.

A little red in the cheeks with the realization of what Remy had just said, Bobby cleared his throat and hurried to deliver his message so he could leave before they said anything that was any more embarrassing. “Logan, Jean says the truck won’t start and they need to take it to town this afternoon for supplies. She was hoping you’d come take a look at it.”

“I’ll help y’!” Remy volunteered quickly. He cast a look toward his room. “Might be a good idea to get out f’ a lil bit, yeah.”

A small smirk tugged at Warren’s lips. “Afraid to go back into your room, LeBeau?”

The look Remy gave him suggested he suffered from some kind of mental handicap. “Gee, y’ t’ink? Dat _homme_ has killer aim, y’ know? Already thumped me in de back of de head.” Reminded of it, Remy brought a hand up, rubbing the back of his head and wincing slightly. “Got a damn lump back dere now. Aint going back in dere, me. Not till we’re both ready. Right now with m’ luck, he’d start crying and den where would I be? Can’t stand to watch Spencer cry and den he’d end up winning just cause I’d give him bout anyt’ing to make de tears stop.” All of a sudden his face lit up with good humor that surprised them all. “Least dis way I can hold out f’ a while and keep some pride b’fore giving in, _non_?”

Laughing, Logan pushed him forward, starting him down the hall and following after him. “You better not let Blue hear ya fighting with the kid.”

“ _Merde_.” Remy pulled a card out and twirled it around his fingers. “I aint de one dat started it!” When he saw the look Logan was giving him, his smile was a little more mischievous. “Okay, mebbe I was. _Mais_ it was f’ a good cause! Y’ see him, Wolvie. Been pouting f’ days now. He needed a good fight. Aint good f’ him to sulk like dat. Spencer's got too much passion to keep it all locked away. Better f’ him and de boys if he just lets it out instead of bottling it up.”

By now the group had made it downstairs and Logan and Remy were separating from Warren and Bobby to make their way to the garage. Remy didn’t even skip a beat in his conversation, waving to the two before looking back at Logan. “Y’ know him well enough, Wolvie. Y’ gotta admit, he’ll be better f’ it later.”

“I aint stepping in that one.” Logan insisted. He slanted a look at Remy, his grin just a little sharp at the edges. “Where else he clip ya?”

“ _Quoi_?”

“You just got through saying how well I know the kid. Come on. You think I’m gonna believe he only hit ya once? His aim is better’n that.”

For a second Remy said nothing and then once more his grin was lighting up his face, making his eyes sparkle with the light Logan had never seen there until Remy had first met Spencer. “ _Oui_ , it is. Caught m’ hip too with one of dem books of his. I deserved dat one, me.” Chuckling, Remy opened the door that led to the garage, gesturing Logan through. “Dat was at de end when I told him he was acting more spoiled dan Jubes.”

“Remy!” Jean’s scolding voice echoed around them and Remy ducked his head a little before turning and flashing Jean one of his megawatt smiles. “ _Bonjour_ , Jeannie. Y’r looking awfully _belle_ today.”

She battled back a smile as she folded her arms over her chest. “Are you picking on Spencer? You know Hank said he needs to take it easy.”

“Dat’s half de problem.” With that remark, Remy followed Logan over to the truck, which already had its hood open. Leaning in beside his friend, the two both saw what it was. It wasn’t anything that Logan was going to need Remy’s assistance for, so the Cajun turned around and settled his back against the side of the truck so he could look at Jean once more. He decided to take advantage of the moment to say something he’d been wanting to say anyways. “Spencer aint one to enjoy being taken care of, cher. Makes him uncomfortable. He aint one f’ sitting round doing not’ing, either. But ever since Vegas, everyone’s been treating him with kid gloves and tryin’ to take care of him all de time and just not letting him do not’ing f’ himself. It’s getting to him.”

Jean looked startled by what he said. “I didn’t realize we were bothering him. He never seemed to have a problem with it.”

Smiling, Remy nodded, lifting his elbows to rest on the edge of the open hood behind him. “Y’ wouldn’t, Jeannie. He wouldn’t hurt y’r feelings like dat. None of y’. He just bites his tongue and keeps quiet bout it all. Dat’s where I come in. Mebbe he aint supposed to be yellin’ or not’ing like dat, but he needed it and I could feel it. Know him, me. So I picked a fight with him and let him get mad. He’ll get mad at po’ Remy f’ a while and den later we’ll talk and figure out a healthy way f’ him to start feeling better. He’s feeling all outta sorts and I’m gonna find a way to fix it.”

“You think he’s homesick?” Logan asked from where he was still stretched out under the hood. He didn’t even pop his head up to speak. “I mean, I know the pampering shit bothers him and we all know the other shit plays a big factor in how he’s feeling, but Thanksgiving’s in a few days and maybe the pup’s just a little homesick for his friends and shit.”

Surprised, Remy tipped his head to the side a little, thinking about it. What Logan said made sense. Remy knew that the week of bed rest and then the pampering everyone had been giving for the past month were big factors in Spencer's current foul mood. He also knew, though others didn’t seem to realize it, that Spencer had made a sort of peace about the loss of William. A month had gone by since the events in Vegas and since they’d found out about William’s death. A month in which Spencer had found the inner peace he needed for this. Though there was no new word on those that William had been working with or who had actually killed him, Spencer had told Remy that he wasn’t going to let himself stress too much over it. “One, it isn’t good for the boys.” He’d told Remy. “And two, I’m not afraid here with all of you. I know you won’t let anything happen and I know that neither will anyone else here. I’m not going to be stupid and not be cautious, but I’m not going to let it rule my life either, Remy.”

But in all this he’d never once stopped to think that with the up and coming holidays, Spencer might be missing his friends. _Dammit_. Why hadn’t he seen that? Of _course_ Spencer missed them! “ _Merde._ ” A scowl settled on his face. How was he going to fix this? “I can’t take him out dere to dem. Not right now. He’s too close to term f’ him to travel anymore. Henri told us dat yesterday at de appointment.” Spencer had just reached his twenty sixth week, almost to his seven month mark. Hank didn’t want him traveling far right now. Spencer had all the statistics on premature labor for those carrying twins and Remy had heard it all already. He had no problems agreeing with Hank’s decree. Anything to keep all his boys safe. He smiled a little to himself as he remembered hearing their heartbeats. Hank hadn’t done an ultrasound this time; he said it wasn’t healthy to do one weekly. They’d do another next week, then again in two weeks. Still, hearing their hearts, feeling their kicks, always brought a grin to Remy’s face. Those were his boys. His little boys.

“Why don’t you bring them here?” Jean’s suggestion interrupted Remy’s thoughts.

Surprised, he looked up at her. Bring them here? “ _Mais_ dey prolly already got plans f’ de holiday. It’s only two days away, cher.”

“Well, you can always do a second holiday.” She moved over to stand beside him, her back against the driver’s door. “Maybe set things up at the boathouse and prepare a more private dinner with you guys and whoever you can get to come. Maybe, if they can’t come for Christmas, this can kind of be your combination Thanksgiving/Christmas get together, too.”

Now that definitely had merit to it. Remy’s lips curved as the idea took root in his mind. It wouldn’t take much to make a few calls, see what everyone had planned and if there was a way they could come out, even just for a day. It wasn’t like it was a long train ride or flight away. If they needed help with fare, he could always arrange that for them. Then Spencer would get to see his family—and there was no denying those friends were more family than friends—and he would also stay close to home as Hank wanted. The more he thought about this, the better it sounded. Remy pushed off the truck and impulsively grabbed Jean’s hand, pulling her in and giving her a quick spin. He bent her back into a dip, snatching a quick kiss. “Y’r brilliant, cher.” Straightening, he spun her back out again, enjoying the way her laugh echoed around them. “Gonna go make a few phone calls. _Merci_ , Jeannie!”

It only took an hour for Remy to arrange what he needed to arrange. He got a hold of each member of Spencer's team and made plans with them all to get together one week exactly after Thanksgiving to do a sort of Thanksgiving/Christmas get together. They were all beyond excited about it and Remy could barely contain his own excitement. This was just the thing his partner needed to pull up out of the funk he was in. This was exactly what he needed. Remy made sure to tell them all that he wanted this a surprise, though. One, because he knew if he told Spencer, he’d spend the next week being driven out of his mind by the young man as they waited for everyone to get here. Two, he couldn’t resist the urge to surprise him. It was just too much to resist. So he made his plans, put everything together that he could for now, and he grinned to himself the entire time. He couldn’t wait for next week to get here!


	18. Chapter 18

A week later found Spencer by himself in the mansion kitchen. Morning was quickly becoming his least favorite time of day. He rubbed at the small of his back as he stood in front of the stove, waiting for the tea kettle to whistle. It was way too early in the morning for him to want to be anywhere but in bed. Yet, the boys apparently had a different idea. For a week now he hadn’t been able to sleep in past five or six. A couple of times he’d tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable enough to get a little more sleep, but that inevitably woke Remy up. So for the past couple days, Spencer gave up on trying to find a better position to sleep in. He simply climbed out of bed and came downstairs to get himself something to drink and hope that walking would ease the aches and maybe get the boys to shift a little.

Just as the tea kettle started to whistle, the door to the kitchen opened and Jean came walking inside. “Oh, Spencer! You weren’t who I expected to see in here.” Jean smiled at him as she made her way over towards him. “You’re up awfully early, sweetie.”

“So are you.” With one hand still rubbing at his back, Spencer reached out with the other and took the kettle off the burner, pouring it into his cup. He turned his head and looked toward Jean, who was sifting through the cup cupboard. “There’s plenty of water if you’d like some tea as well.”

“Actually, I’d love it. That’s what I came down for.”

For a few minutes the two were quiet as they each prepared their cups. Eventually Jean took a seat at the bar with hers, settling into a chair and crossing her legs. Spencer couldn’t help but smile at her; she didn’t look like the fearless Phoenix right now, or even the cool and collected Jean Grey. Right now she was relaxed and at ease, dressed in simple yoga pants and what looked like one of Scott’s shirts. It was obvious she’d expected no one to be down here. Logical, really. Not many people were in the kitchen at five in the morning. Spencer wasn’t dressed much better. Clothes were becoming harder and harder to find a comfortable fit in. Not only for his weight, but to match it to his height as well. He was in yoga pants too, having found that they were extremely comfortable, and a robe over top of it. He hadn’t felt like trying to find a shirt to stretch on him. Not this morning. His stomach felt tight, the skin was itchy, and he just didn’t want to have to deal with it.

Jean watched quietly as Spencer finally settled down in the chair beside her. He grimaced slightly at the change in pressure and tried to adjust to find a position that was more comfortable. It took a second but he eventually found a way to sit that was at least marginally comfortable. Still, one hand rubbed at his belly, trying to soothe down the boys. They were far too active for it being this early. He really hoped this wasn’t going to be an indication of their schedules once they were born.

“Rough morning?” Sympathetic, Jean reached over and squeezed his knee before letting go.

Habit had Spencer shrugging and downplaying it. “It’s not bad. I’m okay, really.”

One look at Jean’s face told him that the standard line wasn’t going to work. She lifted one eyebrow at him, shifting in her chair so that she was leaning back a little, her cup now cradled in her hands. “You don’t have to downplay it, sweetie. It’s just me here. How are you feeling, really?”

Out of all of the ladies, Jean was one of the most protective, right up there with Ororo. But she was also one of the ones that seemed to have come to the understanding that Spencer needed space as well as help sometimes. She wasn’t as smothering as the others could be. And really, it was a nice thing to have her here, asking him how he was. He knew that Jean was one of the least likely ones to freak out, too. She wouldn’t panic over the little things or making them into something more than they were. Spencer couldn’t help but relax just a little bit, a soft smile starting. “Honestly?” He set his cup down and turned his chair just the slightest bit. “In all honesty, my ankles feel swollen, my feet hurt, my stomach feels as hard as granite and won’t stop itching, one of the boys has hooked his feet in my ribs and the other seems to be enjoying pressing against my back. I can’t sleep in anymore because I ache too much to just lie in bed but at the same time I’m spending most of my days tired. I feel swollen, itchy, achy, and tired. And I’m losing the ability to wear most of my shirts.”

Instead of seeking to instantly start soothing or trying to reassure him that it would all be worth it, Jean grimaced at the list and said “That sounds miserable. Why don’t you make Remy rub at your back or your feet, honey? I would.”

For a second Spencer just stared at her. Then he couldn’t help it; he grinned. “I do, occasionally. But if I ask for it too much, he worries. Hell, I get a little heartburn and he worries. Him and Hank both. I’m hoping they’ll learn so that the next time around, I don’t have to deal with as much panic from them.”

“Next time? So you’re planning on more, then?”

“Well, sure.” This hadn’t been something that he’d admitted to anyone yet. He and Remy had talked about this and it was something that they agreed on but he’d never really said it to anyone else. Cradling his mug, he let the heat warm his hands for a second while he took a drink. Then he set it back down and looked down at the dark liquid inside. “Remy and I, we both grew up without typical families. He didn’t really have one as a child and he had no siblings that were really his, and I grew up without any siblings and with parents who, well, who weren’t all there, so to speak.” A slight pang hit Spencer's heart, a thought for what should’ve been; an echo of an old heartache. He shook that feeling off and made himself look up and smile at Jean. “We’ve both always wanted a big family. Granted, we hadn’t planned on getting pregnant this time, but it happened and our family has started.”

Jean nodded as if she understood the logic of what he said. “I always thought kids should have siblings. Do you guys know how many you want?”

That had Spencer laughing. “That’s a loaded question.” His laughter colored his words and his eyes shone just a little bit with his good humor. “Remy and I have debated this. For once, I’m not the one trying to plan ahead. He is. He thinks we should set ourselves a limit and, after that, see about making sure this can’t happen again.”

“And you?”

“I believe we should just live our lives and be blessed with whatever we’re given.” He lifted his mug to hide his smirk. “In the end, I’ll win. Belle agrees with me and Remy can’t withstand the both of us.”

Their laughter echoed together around the kitchen. Jean held her cup out and the two clinked them together as Jean said “Spencer, you’ve got a devious mind. I knew there was a reason I liked you so much.”

“Coming from you, I’ll take that compliment.”

CXCX

When seven o’clock rolled around and people were finally up and about, Spencer was ensconced in his office, though he definitely wasn’t working. Though his desk remained work oriented, the rest of his office had momentarily become a gathering spot. As he and Jean had been drinking tea, Ororo had come in and joined them. Not long after she arrived, Betsy had come in. Somehow, the group had got to talking about the work Spencer was doing here with Bobby, the accounting they did for different places, and that somehow led into talking about the club he owned, the Genus, and Spencer had been pleasantly surprised that, as he discussed it a little more in detail than he usually did with people and actually mentioned the thoughts he’d been having about opening up a location here in New York, the women all had great ideas on expansion for the Genus. From there it seemed natural that their discussion moved to his office. It also seemed natural that Ororo grabbed snack food to bring in with them. They settled down at the couches in there and spread out papers over the coffee table, snacking and talking about different renovations he could do. He even went and printed out a map of the current floor plan so they could better see what they were looking at.

At one point as he was bent over something, he had a hand on his back, rubbing lightly at the ache there. Before he realized what they were doing, Betsy and Jean went off to go grab an ottoman. They came back not only with the ottoman, but Rogue was the one carrying it. She settled it down and Spencer was instructed to sit by Ororo. “Now, if you’ll move your robe, let me see if I can help to ease those aches.” She offered.

Wait, what? He wasn’t going to strip off his robe here! No one but Remy and Hank had seen him without his shirt! Not just because he didn’t want to show off his stomach, but he didn’t let anyone see his back. _Anyone_. The scars there, they would bring up questions he didn’t want to have to answer. Ororo seemed to sense that there was something wrong and she settled down onto a chair behind him. “How about we simply lift the bottom? I don’t need to see what I’m doing. Just reaching in will be enough.”

He chewed on his lip for a bit, thinking about it. The idea of maybe getting just a little bit of relief from the backache was outweighing the embarrassment of what might happen if she encountered any of his scarring with her hands. How many times had Remy told him that he didn’t have to worry? That they weren’t anything to be ashamed of and that he was still beautiful, even with them? Taking a deep, bracing breath, he nodded. Together, they lifted the bottom of the robe, letting there be just enough room for her hands to reach his back. Within thirty seconds, Spencer forgot any misgivings he’d had. Her hands were like _magic_.

That was how Remy found them fifteen minutes later. Spencer was still on the ottoman, the paperwork strewn directly in front of him on the coffee table. Ororo was still behind him, rubbing on his lower back, talking over his shoulder about something she saw on a paper. Jean was holding up another paper, gesturing to something on there with a pencil. Beside her on the couch, Betsy and Rogue were talking over Jean’s back, arguing something that sounded like it had to do with staff members. Jubilee had joined them as well and was stretched out on the floor, looking at a magazine that Remy could see held pictures of furniture. Little bowls of fruit were scattered here and there and a pitcher of juice sat in the midst of their cups.

Scott came up behind Remy, peeking in over his shoulder. “Well, hell.” He said softly in Remy’s ear. “They’re plotting something. Maybe we should be worried.”

“Don’t care what dey’re plotting so long as he keeps smiling like dat.” Remy said fervently. It was true, too. He didn’t care what it was they were plotting. No matter what, it would be worth it. Spencer looked so at ease here. So comfortable. It was such a vast difference from the young man that he had first flirted with and gotten to know. Spencer had come so far since then. He’d been a shy young man, nervous about talking with people for any reason other than work. When it came to profiling, he’d always been confident and comfortable. That was one area he knew well. But casual conversation? The talking and sharing and laughing that were done among friends? That had always been difficult for Spencer to do. Too many times he’d felt awkward and out of place. That had definitely changed over the course of this pregnancy. Spencer seemed to be finding his place and with that was coming a sense of peace and comfort. He had friends here. Family. He was losing the shyness to a certain extent and he was blossoming.

Privately, Remy could admit that Spencer wasn’t the only one that was changing around here. His pregnancy, their boys, was changing all of them. He wasn’t immune to it, either. At one point in time this place had been a house, yes. The people here were his friends; at least, some of them had been. He’d counted his Stormy as his sister, and Scott and Logan as family. The rest had only been friends or acquaintances. With some, there had only been casual conversation mostly related to their work. With Warren, there had only been animosity. Yet that had all changed. Remy found himself being more readily accepted by the others. He and Warren actually spoke civilly to one another! There was still sarcasm in their words sometimes but it had lost the malicious edge to it. No longer did he feel hurt or angry when he spoke with Remy. Over the past few months this place had stopped being a house to stay in and had truly become a home.

Looking at Spencer, watching him and the ladies around him, really brought it home. This was home. These people were family. It was seen in the way they smiled at one another. It was there in the way that Ororo was rubbing at Spencer's back and he was _letting her_! It was there in how Jubilee stretched up to show Spencer something, casually resting a hand on his knee while she did. Or in how Betsy said something that had the whole group of them laughing. It showed in the playful banter that Betsy, Rogue and Spencer got into, with Ororo laughing at them and Jean refereeing it. The warm emotions that filled the room from those in front of him and the man standing beside him were enough to have Remy sighing happily. That sound drew the attention of the others. It did his heart good to see the way Spencer lit up at the sight of him, those white eyes sparking with the internal light he got just for Remy. He felt Spencer's love and sent love back to him, a private greeting between them. Then Spencer was gesturing towards them. “Come in, guys. Actually, Remy, I’m glad you’re here. Jubilee found some furniture and such and I’d like your opinion on the pieces she’s matched together.”

“Sure t’ing, _mon amour_. What’re we planning f’ in here?” Remy strolled right in, stopping to steal a quick kiss from Spencer before he folded himself down right by Jubilee.

“The ladies have been helping me figure out how to convert the unused upstairs space in the Genus into another room.” He explained.

Jean used her TK to pull out a piece of paper and hold it up and Rogue leaned forward to point to one spot on there. It was a floor plan to the Genus. “See this space right here? It’s enough to be useful. We thought maybe two rooms at first, but they’d be awfully small.”

“So we suggested it become one large room, a kind of elite room.” Betsy supplied. “It’d be a little pricier than the others, but it would come with things the others don’t.”

“And we’ve been discussing what you and I were talking about.” Spencer said. He turned a little to look down at Remy. “We were debating on opening a sister club either in New York or DC, though I’m still leaning towards DC.”

Remy nodded at that while he shifted to be able to lean against the ottoman right by Spencer's legs. “Y’ could talk with Scotty over dere bout dat one, get somet’ing organized between y’. But we only got a couple hours f’ dis, Spencer. I gotta be in town f’ noon and I was hoping y’d come with me.” He made sure _not_ to say what they were going in for. He’d managed to keep his surprise a secret this whole time and today he was finally going to be able to get things started. It was a good thing, too. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could refrain from telling Spencer what was going on. Everyone was coming in on the noon train today and they were going to go pick them up. Logan was coming too, discreetly leaving right before them with the big van. They were going to need two vehicles to hold everyone that was coming.

Surprise flittered over Spencer's face before a smile broke free. He’d been going a little stir crazy and Remy knew he’d jump at the opportunity to leave the grounds for a little while. No one had really let him go anywhere since Vegas, not wanting a repeat. Spencer dropped a hand down to stroke through Remy’s hair, an absent sort of gesture. “I’d love to.”

As Remy turned his attention to Jubilee and Spencer called over to Scott, the young genius kept his hand in Remy’s hair, the contact making the both of them smile.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know the boys exact ages (little boys) so I’m kind of guessing here. Also, I know Will has an accent as well, also being from New Orleans, but I don’t ever hear his accent as being real thick when he talks on the show. His is sort of, smoother. So that’s why I’m not writing him with one. Sorry, guys. I don’t know how to write the light version of that accent lol :D

Once again, Spencer looked over toward his partner, watching his face as Remy drove down the road. The whole way into town he’d been sneaking looks at the man, trying to read his face, read his emotions. Anything that might give him some kind of clue as to where they were going or what they were doing. Remy had refused to tell him every time he asked and he wasn’t giving in to any of Spencer's prying. The thing was, it could be for multiple reasons. Remy could really be hiding something and waiting to surprise him with it, or he could just be acting this way to deliberately drive Spencer crazy. That second one was a distinct possibility.

“Y’ twitch over dere anymore, y’r gonna make me t’ink y’ got ants in y’r pants.”

That didn’t even pull a laugh from Spencer. He narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses and stopped bothering to hide his snooping. “Either pregnancy has made me mentally slower or you are getting too practiced at hiding your tells at me. If it’s the second one, I’m not entirely sure I like that idea.”

“Maybe a bit of both?” Impishly, the little devil winked at Spencer. “And y’ know y’ love it, cher.”

Whatever this was, it was definitely going to be interesting. It wasn’t hard to see that Remy was in a mood. Even if he hadn’t been able to see it, Spencer would’ve known Remy was in a mood. He could feel it. Something had the man extremely happy and there was that playful edge that Spencer had always enjoyed about him. That was actually one of the things that Spencer had first been attracted to about Remy. As he’d gotten to know him, he’d learned that Remy could be both playful and serious, occasionally even at the same time, a feat that Spencer had never quite figured out how he managed. Whereas Spencer could be serious, a little too serious sometimes, Remy nicely balanced him out with smiles and laughter and more often than not a dirty mind wound through it all to make things more interesting.

For a second Spencer let himself get caught in his thoughts. In so many ways they were so different and yet they seemed to complement one another well. He hoped that it would work the same for their parenting. Out of the two, Spencer knew he’d be the more serious parent. Most likely the stern one. Remy would be stern, Spencer knew. He’d seen the man interact with youngsters that came through the mansion occasionally. He was good with them and with keeping them in line, yet he managed to do it all while still being the ‘fun’ person to be around. He just had that way about him—and not just with children, but with adults too—that had a person listening to him and doing what was right, sometimes without them even realizing that they were being steered in that direction.

Remy’s hand started to rub a little on his thigh, drawing Spencer's attention back to him once more. There was a flash of color as his eyes broke away from the road to sneak a quick look at him. “Y’ all right over dere, _mon cœur_?”

“I’m fine, Remy. I was just thinking.”

“Oh?”

That curious little ‘oh?’ made Spencer smile. He moved his hand and took hold of Remy’s, drawing it off his thigh and then lacing their fingers together. He looked down at their hands and smiled at their interlaced fingers. “Mm hm. I was thinking about what kind of parents we’re going to be.” Biting his lip, he slanted a quick look toward Remy, tacking on “You’re going to make a wonderful parent. Our kids are going to be lucky to have you.” He believed that firmly.

Remy drew his hand up, pressing a kiss to the back of it without taking his eyes off the road. As he laid their hands back down, he grinned. “ _Merci, mon amour._ Dey’re gonna be lucky to have y’, too. And just so y’ know, sucking up aint gonna get me to tell y’ what we’re doing.”

Laughter tickled the back of Spencer's throat. “It was worth a shot.” And then, because he couldn’t resist and he wanted to see Remy’s reaction to the words, he tacked on “What about just sucking?”

For one split second Remy did nothing. Surprise lit up his face and then his eyes shot over to Spencer, going unerringly towards his smiling lips, and then they were jerked back out toward the road. The surprise melted away to a wry sort of humor. “ _Dieu_ , y’ like to surprise me, don’t y’?”

“Life would be dull without surprises.” He stroked his thumb back and forth over the side of Remy’s thumb, amused to see the slight shiver the man gave. “And you never answered my question.”

“Y’ aint capable of bending like dat in de car right now. What is it with y’ and cars, anyways?” Remy was shaking his head as he slowed the car, making a turn into somewhere. Spencer wasn’t really paying attention where. He was enjoying watching Remy’s face. The Cajun pulled the car into somewhere and put it in park, all one handed, a talent that would’ve amused Spencer at a different time. For now, he was too busy being amused by their conversation. Looking at their joined fingers, he smirked. “Are you complaining?” He asked innocently.

The car shut off and then a hand was under Spencer's chin, tilting his head up until he was eye to eye with Remy. “Do I look stupid to y’?” He used his grip on Spencer's chin to hold him in place, leaning in and taking a kiss that warmed them both. The moment might’ve been just a little more fun, Spencer wanted to arch up when Remy broke away, but the boys apparently had an entirely different idea. One of them moved and had Spencer drawing down a little instead of arching up and he had to bring his free hand to rub at his stomach. Sighing, he looked down at his belly, grumbling just a little. “You have the worst timing already.” He scolded them without thinking about it.

Remy chuckled and lifted his hand to kiss it once more before letting go. “Get used to it, cher. Dat’s part of being parents.”

Another movement made Spencer wince. Ugh. It felt like one of them was pushing back on his spine. No, no, no. Not now. Not when they’d stopped the car at wherever they were. The very last thing Spencer wanted was to ruin this random trip into town. He hadn’t left the mansion since the events in Vegas and he was looking forward to being somewhere, anywhere, that wasn’t home. Even if it was just for a little bit. He was not going to let a backache ruin it, either. He felt Remy’s concern start and he hurried to do something before that could grow. The last thing he wanted was Remy to suggest they go back home. He’d gotten dressed for this; dammit, he wasn’t going back now. “So now that we’ve arrived somewhere, do I get to know what we’re doing?” He hurried to distract him.

A look clearly told him that he wasn’t fooling Remy in the least bit. But Remy made Spencer love him even more by not calling him out on it. He obviously restrained himself from saying anything about Spencer's discomfort and instead he actually answered his question. “Right now, we’re gonna go on over to dat restaurant over dere.” Lifting one hand, he pointed out the window to a T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant. Others might’ve been surprised to know that it was one of their favorites. They used to go there every time that they got together here in the city. It had been quite a while since they’d been to one and Spencer smiled at the sight of it.

Getting out of the car wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Thankfully the car wasn’t a low one so he didn’t have to lift himself up. They’d taken the van for some reason and so Spencer actually slid out of it instead of climbing up. Remy was there, taking his hand and bracing him without saying anything about it, something that Spencer appreciated. He adjusted his shirt and coat once he was on his feet, trying to resist the urge to knuckle his back and stretch out. Remy stood there, holding his hand and smiling, making sure that Spencer saw him looking him over from head to toe before he told him “Y’r lookin’ awfully handsome dere, Spencer. Y’ don’t look so much like m’ _petit allée chat_ no more. Gonna have to t’ink of a new name f’ y’ now.”

He looked down at himself—or, at least, what he could see of himself. His view kind of stopped at his belly. He didn’t think he looked special in any way. He was wearing a pair of jeans that Ororo had fixed up for him, sewing on a band by the belly to make them into comfortable maternity jeans. Then he’d just dressed comfortably and simply with an undershirt and then a dark red turtleneck sweater that Remy had gotten him for the cold season. Because it had been raining, he had on his most comfortable pair of boots and a warm jacket over it all. Really, nothing fancy even. Fancy was beyond him at the moment. _Comfort is quite a bit more important than fancy_ he thought to himself. Still, Remy’s compliment made him smile. He was the only man that Spencer could think of that would look at him right now and call him handsome and still mean it. Spencer kissed him warmly, letting his love pour into the kiss. When they broke apart, Remy tucked an arm around Spencer's shoulders, bringing him against his side as they started to walk. “So,” Spencer said with a smile, putting his arm around Remy’s waist. “A new name for me, hm? I’m a little scared by the idea.”

Remy laughed as he put his sunglasses on. “C’mon, cher. It’ll be fun. Don’t y’ trust me?”

Spencer bit his lip and stayed quiet, earning him a squeeze and a “Hey!” from Remy that made him laugh. The two continued their teasing until they were inside the restaurant. When they got inside, Remy informed the person there that they were part of the LeBeau party and Spencer's attention suddenly shifted. LeBeau party? “Remy…”

“ _Je t’aime,_ Spencer.” Remy said smoothly. Then he led Spencer around a corner, following their waiter, and what he found at the table there had Spencer freezing for just one instant. His free hand stopped its stroking motion over his stomach. Morgan broke his shocked silence by letting out a warm laugh and telling him “Close your mouth, pretty boy. You’re gonna catch flies that way.”

That broke the silence for everyone. The adults started to laugh, Spencer flushed at the same time as grinning widely, and Henry broke away from his mother to come racing forward with a cry of “Uncle Penner!” The little boy raced forward only to be caught halfway there by Will, who swept him up with one arm and settled the squirming boy on his hip in a move that spoke of practice. “Now, c’mon, little man. Remember what your Mama and I told you. No jumping at Uncle Spencer.” He warned him.

Spencer couldn’t help but grin as Will came forward, carrying Henry so that the little boy could hug his godfather. Spencer embraced them both, only to find a whole line of people afterwards, all waiting for a hug. He couldn’t believe it! It looked like everyone was here! Will, JJ, Henry, Morgan, Penelope, Emily, Dave, Aaron, even Jack! Logan was there too, standing at the back of the group and grinning. One by one Spencer hugged them all, laughing and smiling. “I can’t believe this. What’re you guys doing here?” he asked them.

Aaron was the last one to embrace him, giving a grin that was rarely seen on the man’s face. “Remy gave us a call.” He said when he pulled back. “We’re all here for the next two nights to have a late Thanksgiving, early Christmas.”

“That’s right!” Penelope chimed in. “Holidays can’t happen without family, can they?”

Tears built in Spencer's eyes, blurring his vision just slightly. He was grateful he’d opted for sunglasses instead of his contacts to hide his eyes. Contacts and tears were a pain to deal with. Emotion clogged his throat and he found he couldn’t speak at first when he turned and pulled Remy into a hug. The older man held him close, giving him a squeeze before letting go. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dried off his cheeks. Then he helped him to get settled down in a chair. Everyone else took their seats again, laughing when Henry scrambled over chairs and stole a seat before Emily could, taking the one right beside his ‘Uncle Penner’.

Spencer looked at the face around the table. He couldn’t seem to stop smiling at them. “So you guys are here for two nights? I can’t believe you all managed to keep this from me!” He turned to Remy, who was sitting on his left. “I can’t believe _you_ managed to keep this from me!”

“Y’ got no idea how hard it was, too.” His partner gave a dramatic sigh, slumping a little. “Took every bit of patience dat I got to not tell y’. _Mais_ I made it and now dey’re here.”

“And we’re all excited, too.” JJ chimed in. “Henry’s been ready to go ever since we told him we were coming.”

Leaning around Morgan, Penelope looked over to Remy, asking “Do we need to pick anything up? I brought the recipes you asked for.”

Remy shook his head. “ _Non_ , I got de food. Rogue and m’ Stormy went and did de shopping f’ me. Stocked up de boathouse.”

“The food?” Spencer cut in.

It was JJ who leaned forward to smile at him and explain what was going on. “We’re going to do a Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, Spence. This is our group holiday and we’re going to do it right. That means the full course meal, all of that.”

All he could do for a moment was stare around the table, simply amazed at what was going on here. Everyone was suddenly discussing food as they all looked at their menus, talking and laughing as if this were a daily thing for them. As if they saw one another all the time and this was just no big deal. It was a big deal to him! He couldn’t believe they were all there. The fact that Remy had taken the time to arrange this and everyone else had taken the time out of their schedules to come out for this, it left him stunned. He hadn’t been letting himself even think about the fact that none of these people—people that he considered family—weren’t there for the holidays. It just seemed like the way it had to be. But to have them here now, to be able to look around the table and see the faces of those he’d been missing so much…he just didn’t know what to do with himself. He didn’t know what to say.

“Uncle Penner!” Henry tugged insistently on his sleeve, yanking Spencer out of his thoughts and pulling his attention down to the little boy at his side. When Henry saw him looking, he demanded “Trick!”

Spencer smiled down at him. “A trick, hm? I think maybe we can do that.”

“No rockets at the table, Reid.” Aaron called over. The command made Spencer grin and seemed to stun a few others. The girls exchanged grins, remembering the last time Spencer had made rockets and one had landed right at Aaron’s feet in the bullpen. Spencer couldn’t help but chuckle just slightly. “Of course not, Sir.” He said innocently. Then he looked at Jack and deliberately looked over top his sunglasses so he could wink at him, including the boy on this. “We’ll save those for tomorrow.”

Any further conversation was broken by the waitress coming up to take their orders. She went around the table, writing down everyone’s order. When it got to Spencer, she stopped and very visibly started, her eyes going towards his stomach. For once, Spencer didn’t care. He wasn’t thinking about what others thought of him. No, he was too full of the positive emotion around him to be bothered by anything. And he was hungry. “I would like the shrimp and chicken pasta, please. And some of your lemonade.”

“ _Non_.” Remy cut him off. He turned toward Spencer, already scowling. “Y’ aint ordering dat. _Non,_ Spencer.”

“Remy…”

“I said _non_.”

The firm exchange had everyone’s attention on them. Neither paid them any attention. Spencer wrinkled his nose before letting out a gusty sigh. “ _Fine_. I’ll have the California Club sandwich, please.” He settled back in his chair with a slight pout, not paying any attention to what Remy ordered. He was too busy sulking over the loss of what he wanted. He didn’t even notice when Remy pointed out something on the menu to the woman but shushed her before she could say it out loud. Once all the menus were collected and the woman was gone, Remy turned his attention to Spencer, reaching out to put a hand on his arm. “Don’t be mad at me, _bébé_. I promise, I’ll make it f’ y’ at home. Sunday dinner, I got de kitchen dis week. I’ll make up some proper shrimp f’ de whole house.”

Spencer slanted a look at him. “With cornbread?”

“Anything f’ y’, cher.”

Happy once more, Spencer leaned in and took a kiss. He let Remy settle an arm around the back of his chair so that the two of them were settled close. That was when he noticed the others looking at him. “What?”

“And what was that all about?” Dave asked. A corner of his mouth was quirked and he looked like he was battling back a smile.

Remy fielded the answer. He was scowling once more when he said “Dey claim dey’re shrimp and chicken pasta is Cajun but dat aint Cajun. Belle sent me spices from home. Remy can…” he cut off with a hiss when Spencer pinched him. He stuck his tongue out briefly before finishing what he was saying. “ _I_ can make it better dan dey can. Aint no point in eating something unless it’s gonna be done right, _oui_?”

That had Spencer rolling his eyes. While the others chuckled at Remy, Spencer turned his attention back to Henry and to his promise. “Okay, Henry. Let’s go ahead and do your trick. What would you say if I told you I could tear up this napkin and then put it all back together again with just a wave of my ‘magic wand’?”


	20. Chapter 20

The entire lunch passed by with lots of laughter and plenty of catching up. Their conversations were slightly censored with the children being present. Still, it was a wonderful time. Spencer couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. It felt wonderful to hear JJ and Will telling stories on Henry or about the things Aaron and Jack had done, or who Emily was seeing, or the guy Kevin that Penelope was ‘sort of’ seeing, or hearing the girls tease Derek for not having found someone to seriously date yet. All of it was so familiar and wonderful and it was the absolute perfect afternoon. The enjoyment continued even when they loaded up into the cars. The two families rode with Logan while Morgan, Emily, Garcia and Dave rode with Remy and Spencer. Now Spencer understood why Remy had brought the van.

Their arrival at the mansion wasn’t anything spectacular. Remy had set things up so they were going to be spending pretty much the entire time down at the boathouse. Apparently part of the arrangements they’d all discussed was where everyone would sleep as well. Cots had been snuck down there and the master bedroom was going to house the women while the kids and the men were going to ‘camp’ in the living room. They’d all agreed on it already and Spencer finally just figured to go ahead and go along for the ride. The only people that _wouldn’t_ be sleeping down there were going to be him and Remy. They were still going to stay in their room up at the house.

They spent the whole day down there, just catching up on the basic things, trying to entertain the two little boys who wanted nothing more than to go play outside in the mud. Nothing work related or concerning the events in Vegas was brought up. When dinner rolled around, it was a lively affair, full of laughter and good humor. All of the positive emotions had Spencer feeling like he was running off of the best high. He didn’t want to leave, even when he was starting to fall asleep on the couch. It took everyone ganging up on him to get him to make his way back up to the house with Remy.

Spencer was in a daze as Remy helped him get ready for bed. When they were both finally lying in bed, Spencer snuggled to the body pillow—it was the only way he could fall asleep anymore—and with Remy snuggled up behind him, the young genius took hold of Remy’s hand and gave it a squeeze. He couldn’t roll over to kiss him the way he wanted so he drew Remy’s hand up and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I can’t believe you went to all this trouble for me. Thank you so much, Remy. I love you.”

“ _Je t’aime aussi, bébé_. I couldn’t stand de thought of how sad y’ looked.” Remy scooted just a little closer and nuzzled at the back of Spencer's neck. “Y’ should be happy. Y’ deserve to be. And I’m gonna spend de rest of m’ life making sure y’ are.”

Lying in bed with his partner’s arm around him, their joined hands resting on the life they’d created together, Spencer thought that he couldn’t get any happier.

CXCX

The next two days passed in a blur of happiness and laughter, food and stories and wonderful memories in the making. Spencer woke first the next morning, as was normal, and he took the time to take a shower and actually get ready for the day instead of heading to the kitchen in his pajamas as he’d taken to doing lately. He made a conscious effort to look nice as well as be comfortable. As he drew out one of the other pairs of pants that Ororo had converted for him, he couldn’t help but chuckle and sneak a look over to the bed where Remy was still sound asleep. This was another change in his life that was brought on by Remy’s influence. Before him, Spencer never would’ve stopped to think about ‘looking nice’ for something. He would’ve just dressed and gone about his business. But he’d been around Remy long enough that the man’s habits were rubbing off on him. Remy dressed nicely for special things and this definitely qualified as a special thing. So Spencer put on his comfortable pants and then a white shirt, over which he pulled on the black button up cardigan that Remy had gotten for him. Not fancy, but better than the yoga pants and large shirts he’d taken to wearing lately.

After pulling on his comfortable boots, seeing that it was pouring outside, he grabbed his coat and quietly made his way out of the room. He knew Remy would know where to find him when he got up.

When he got downstairs, he intended on making himself a cup of tea to start with, maybe spending a little time in the kitchen to wake up and allow others to wake up. It was already six—he’d slept in a little. Then again, he’d been up at least three times in the night to use the restroom. He stroked his hand over his stomach, feeling the boys kicking. “You two are really starting to make it difficult to sleep.” He murmured to his stomach. It was said with a smile, though.

Just as he was starting to reach for the tea kettle, Spencer happened to look out the window, down towards the direction of the boathouse. When he saw a light on through the early morning dark, he smiled. Maybe he wouldn’t have to wait around for people to wake up. He quickly got the water on to boil and pulled out a travel mug.

Ten minutes later he was bundled up in his coat, travel mug in hand, and was starting the trek down to the boathouse. He briefly gave thought to the fact that Remy wasn’t going to be pleased if he found out Spencer walked down in the dark and rain on his own. Then he brushed it aside. He was fine. He walked carefully and made sure to stay out of the mud so that he wouldn’t slip and fall. He moved quietly when he reached the boathouse, letting himself in and silently shutting the door behind him. The living room was still dark and there were sleeping bodies stretched out here and there. Spencer went further in, going back to the source of the light—the kitchen. It didn’t really surprise him to find Aaron was the one awake in there. The Unit Chief was used to early hours with their job and, when on a case, he was always one of the first ones up. What did surprise him was to find Penelope in there, putting a large roasting pan into the oven.

The two turned at his entrance and both smiled. “I figured it was you when I heard the door open.” Aaron said. He was leaning against the counter, drinking a cup of coffee.

Penelope finished putting the turkey in and shut the door before straightening up and smiling at him. She was dressed in bright pink and blue plaid pajama pants and a blue shirt that had ‘Gobble, Gobble, Gobble’ written on it. He shook his head at that and laughed lightly. She just smiled brightly back. “Morning, sweetie! You’re up awfully early.”

The word ‘early’ had Spencer snorting. “Early, right. I slept in today, I’ll have you know. The boys usually have me up at five.” He rubbed over his stomach again as a particularly strong kick seemed to accompany his words. As he did, he saw the way Penelope’s hand twitched and the look that crossed over her face. He knew what she wanted to do. Though he was still very, very stern about letting other people feel on his stomach, he had a feeling he was going to have to relax that just slightly the next couple days. None of these people really got to be here through the pregnancy and he couldn’t be a complete jerk by denying them at least a feel of the babies kicking for the short bit that they were all here, could he? He grimaced slightly yet reached out and took hold of a surprised Penelope’s wrist. Then he laid her palm against his stomach where most of the kicking was.

Her look of surprise turned to one of awe when she felt the hard kicking under her hand. “Oh my gosh, Reid. Wow!” That look of awe eased some of Spencer's discomfort so that he actually managed to smile a little at her. She stared at where her hand rested over his shirt. “They’re really kicking in there!”

He waited just a beat longer before letting go of her wrist and stepping back .She easily took the hint and let go without hesitation, still smiling brightly at him. Spencer leaned back against the counter and took a drink off his tea, letting his hand take its place on his stomach once more. “And that’s why I’m usually up early. They’ve taken to waking me up lately. I’m sincerely hoping this doesn’t mean they’re going to be early risers. I’m not honestly a morning person and Remy’s worse than I am.”

“You’ll adjust.” Aaron assured him. There was a spark of amusement on his old boss’s face. “Trust me; they’ll make sure you adjust.”

The look that crossed Spencer's face made the two laugh at him. When the laughter faded away, Penelope waved them towards the table. “You two go ahead and sit down. I’ve got some cinnamon rolls all prepared and ready to go in the oven. Which, by the way, let me just say that it’s fantastic that you guys actually have _two_ ovens in here, Reid. What do you guys need two for?”

Spencer went to the table without protest and lowered himself down into one of the chairs. He sighed a little as he eased some of the pressure on his back. “We like to cook.” He answered her. “And we’ve had Logan down a few times to eat with us, or Ro, and Logan can really pack the food away. We often make a large roast, or ham, or such like that in the one oven and use the other to make any other side dishes or such to go with it.”

“Smart plan.” She flashed him a grin. “Works out for us, too. That’ll make today’s cooking a whole lot easier.” As they spoke, she went about pulling out a tray of prepared cinnamon rolls from the fridge and taking it over to the second oven. “Let’s see how long it takes once these start cooking before people start coming in. Hotch, would you start a fresh pot of coffee?”

“There’s a double pot machine in the pantry.” Spencer told them. “I imagine we’ll go through it fast.”

Laughing, Aaron rose and headed to the pantry. “Why does it not surprise me that you of all people own something like that?”

His blush just made them laugh even more.

CXCX

By the time the first batch of cinnamon rolls was pulled from the oven and the first round of coffee was made, quite a few people were awake. Derek and Will wandered in first, followed soon after by JJ and Jack. They crowded around the table, settling in to take a fresh roll and drink their coffee. Next came down Emily and Henry, and Dave came in just minutes after that. The boathouse was filling up with the smell of good food and coffee and the sounds of happy voices and laughter. Spencer sat there drinking a glass of milk, his tea already done and gone, just enjoying the people around him.

Remy joined them right about the time the second batch of rolls came out. He slipped into the kitchen and into the mix of things like he’d been doing it for years, snagging a paper towel and then a roll straight from the cookie sheet, making Penelope laugh at him and swat his hand. He winked at her and kissed her cheek, making her laugh once more.

It made Spencer's heart swell to watch how easily Remy fit right in with everyone. There had never been any discomfort in bringing Remy together with the team. They’d always gotten along well and it just got more and more comfortable each time they got together. There was just something about Remy that seemed to make people be at ease around him. He had a way of making people feel comfortable and making them smile. Friends were never hard to come by for him.

He worked his way through everyone now, exchanging a “Good morning” here and there, pausing to laugh and swipe a finger over the frosting on Henry’s nose, before he finally made it to Spencer's side. There were no chairs left but he didn’t seem to mind. He bent and took a good morning kiss from Spencer that had Derek pretending to gag and others laughing.  Spencer could only smile. The love in the room was surrounding him and filling him up. When Remy straightened up and slipped an arm around his shoulders, Spencer leaned to the side and rested his head against his partner’s hip.

Eventually they were kicked out of the kitchen by Penelope and JJ, who said they had to start cooking a few things. To the surprise of a few, Remy stayed with the girls. He stole a final kiss from Spencer before ushering him out. “Go on, get outta here, cher.”

Spencer found himself on the couch with Emily, Henry sitting between them and the others sprawled around the living room. A movie was put into the DVD player for the kids—Spencer thought it looked like Power Rangers or something like that—and the two kids watched while the adults talked over their heads.

Later, Spencer would look back and think on how most of the day kind of blurred together for him. It was all happy emotions and laughter and a sense of love that seemed to permeate the whole house. He smiled so much that his face hurt by the end of the day and he didn’t even care. It was worth it. There were moments too that were crystal clear and he knew he would hold those memories in his heart for a long, long time. Like coming into the kitchen for a refill on his blueberry juice in just enough time to see JJ turn to say something and Remy turn as well to get something, causing them both to knock into the bowl that JJ was mixing heavy whipping cream in. That jostle was enough to have JJ’s hand jumping and accidentally turning the speed up to high, which then sent heavy whipping cream flying everywhere before she managed to turn it off, but not before it managed to splash over their clothes and faces. Spencer laughed so hard he had to grip the counter to keep from falling.

Or when he snuck off with the two young boys to the dock once it stopped raining and they used the supplies he brought to build rockets and launch them out over the lake. He knew he’d never forget the big grins and those belly laughs that the boys gave. By the time they came back inside, most of the furniture in the house had been moved and two long tables were set up and covered with tablecloths. The amount of food that was set out on them should’ve been enough to feed a small army. They had all the important things as well as some things that were different, yet were traditions from one person or another. Like the butternut squash that Emily said her family had every year, or the rice that Remy insisted had to be there. Spencer found himself seated at the table between Remy and JJ and as he held their hands to join in while Remy said grace, giving thanks for family and friends and food, he added up his own fervent thanks inside of his heart for the family he had found.

CXCX

Their visit was all too short in Spencer's mind. It seemed like no time at all had passed before it came time to take everyone back to the train station. Countless memories had been made on this trip, though. As they all stood in the middle of the train station, Spencer took his time hugging everyone goodbye, for once not even feeling ashamed of the tears in his eyes. He let them flow on his cheeks without a care in the world about who saw them. There were promises made to visit again soon and promises demanded for him to call as soon as he had any news on when the boys would make their appearance.

Eventually their train was called and Spencer stood at Remy’s side, waving at them all as they boarded. When they were out of sight, Spencer sighed and laid his head against Remy’s shoulder, his arm around the man’s waist. “Thank you. I think that’s the best gift that anyone’s ever gotten for me.”

“Y’r so very welcome, Spencer. Anyt’ing, to make y’ smile like dat.” Remy put an arm around his shoulders and turned to nuzzle at his hair, mindless of the people that stared at them. “I’m happy I could do somet’ing to make y’ dat happy.”

As sappy as it was, Spencer couldn’t resist. He turned and gave Remy a brief hug and kiss before telling him “Just being with you is enough to make me happy, Rem.” One more kiss and he smiled at him. “Let’s go home.”


	21. Chapter 21

The holidays had come and gone at the mansion. After the chaos that came with that time of the year, Spencer felt it was actually nice to have things start to wind down a little. With the holidays seemed to come an upsweep in mutant bashing, as if some people weren’t inspired to love around Christmas time, but to hate. He would never understand it. But his partner was out of the house often, leaving at random hours with the team and coming back sore and tired and a little heartsick. It always hurt Remy to have to deal with people being hurt for no other reason than being different. Spencer knew it brought up too many memories of times Remy had been hurt because of his eyes. There were quite a few nights that Spencer held Remy to him as best as he could and stroked at his hair in their darkened room, saying nothing about the silent tears he could feel dripping onto his skin.

Because of that, the holidays were a little tenser than they should’ve been, and Spencer knew he wasn’t the only one that was a little relieved to see it all be over with.

It was now mid-January and Spencer was thirty-five weeks pregnant. Things were finally settling back to normal around the house. Spencer spent his days either in his office working alone or with Bobby, or he was up in Ororo’s room with her talking and enjoying a little relaxation, or he and Remy took some alone time, or he was in the TV room with someone or another. He rarely had alone time anymore except for when he managed to sneak some to himself.

He and Remy also spent time down at the boathouse, putting together the last of the nursery, preparing for the arrival of the boys. They had two cribs set up, though they planned on letting the boys share to start with. There were also two rocking chairs, one for each parent. The dresser was brought in and stocked with freshly washed baby clothes and the changing table was set up against one wall. The walls were painted in a jungle theme that Remy had done with help of a few friends one afternoon while Spencer was napping. All the blankets and bedding was washed and ready to go. They had bottles down there and baby formula in the cupboards. Down at the boathouse, everything was ready to go, just waiting on the arrival of the boys. That arrival came a little quicker than they’d planned.

CXCX

Most of the mansion was empty, making it sound so very quiet as Spencer made his way downstairs. His steps were slow and cautious as he went and he battled back nerves the entire way. He’d been resting upstairs when Remy left on whatever mission he’d been called out on. Apparently quite a few others had gone too. He hadn’t woken up because of Remy’s absence, as he tended to do when the Cajun left the bed, or even because of his usual need to use the restroom. No, what had woken him up was the cramping that he had grown used to over the last few weeks. Braxton Hicks, Hank called them. False labor. They were coming more and more frequently now, especially since he’d hit thirty six weeks just a few days ago. Only, as he laid there in bed, trying to find a way to go back to sleep, he’d felt another one, and his brain had suddenly seemed to come awake.

It only took him a moment to stop and really think about what he was feeling. He’d been having these sensations off and on throughout the day, dismissing them as the Braxton Hicks that Hank had warned him might increase a little. But as Spencer sat up in bed and let himself look back over the day, he felt his face pale with the realization that these weren’t random, and they weren’t false. They’d been happening most of the day, increasing in frequency, only he’d been busy or napping at random times and he hadn’t paid attention. But if he was right, the past few had been forty five minutes apart, and the ones before that an hour apart. His eyes went wide at the realization that this wasn’t false. It was very, very real. He was in labor—and Remy wasn’t home.

Spencer instantly reached out with his empathy and found that there weren’t too many people in the house. The few he felt were all downstairs, gathered in the rec room he thought, judging by location. Having located them, he’d risen from bed and thrown on a shirt and pants before going to find them. That was why he was now carefully descending the stairs, trying to maintain his ever worsening balance as he went. All the while his mind was racing. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening now. Not now. Not with Remy not here. How much of a cliché was that? It was almost midnight, his partner wasn’t at home, and he was going into early labor. _Thirty six weeks isn’t that bad. That’s only two weeks early from what Hank wanted for us. Two weeks early isn’t extremely dangerous._ His brain was already starting to tell him the statistics for survival rate of twins born at thirty six weeks. He used the numbers to reassure himself as he finally hit the bottom of the stairs and started to make his way to the rec room.

When he walked into the room, he found Ororo, Warren and Betsy watching a movie. Just these three? He closed his eyes and checked again, feeling around the mansion. The only other empathic signature that he recognized was the Professor and Bishop. No one else was here. Damn! Damn, damn, damn! That meant that, not only was Remy not here, Hank wasn’t here either. Oh, hell.

The sound of his footsteps alerted the others. Ororo looked up and over to him and her face softened to a warm smile. “Hello, Spencer.” She must’ve seen something on his face because she suddenly sat up a little bit straighter. “Are you all right?”

He didn’t have to say a word to answer that. His body decided to do it for him. Another contraction came and his mind logged away the fact that it was only half an hour since the last one. He grimaced and braced against the doorframe, one hand rubbing soothingly at his stomach as he breathed through it. _Not that bad_ he told himself. _Not that bad at all. The same as they’ve been lately, just a tiny bit stronger, that’s all. Not that bad._

Before it had finished, Ororo was at his side and the other two had risen as well. Ororo’s one hand went to his back and the other hand went to his arm. “That did not look like the usual pains you’ve been having.”

He blew out a breath on the last of the contraction and made himself relax a little. “No, not quite the same. I’m pretty sure I’m in the early stages of labor.” He delivered the news with his usual clinical outlook, not paying any real attention to the reactions of those with him. “The last one was thirty minutes ago, and between that one and the previous was forty five minutes. I didn’t find Hank’s presence in the house. Did he go out with the others?”

“He did.” Betsy answered. “I’ll go contact them and tell Hank to get back here, fast.”

Spencer wanted to protest, to say that they shouldn’t hurry the man, but he knew the facts and statistics on male deliveries better than anyone and he knew the dangers that could lay ahead without the proper medical attention. The only option for a male delivery was a C-section, obviously. If he didn’t receive proper medical care in the right amount of time, his body would try to push out something that had nowhere to go and the results could be fatal to both children and carrier. So he didn’t protest her calling. But he did ask “Tell him to try to keep it from Remy until the last minute, if possible. Otherwise the man’s going to go into a panic and I wouldn’t want to subject poor Hank to that.”

Nodding, Betsy hurried from the room. That left Spencer with Ororo and Warren, who both flanked him and got him out into the hallway. “Let’s get you down to the Med Lab so you’re ready when they arrive.” Ororo suggested.

Spencer continued to rub his stomach as his friends led him toward the Med Lab. Underneath everything was running a current of fear that was twined tightly together with joy. Whether he was ready or not, his boys were making their appearance tonight. God, he had no idea if he was ready for this!

CXCX

It took two hours before those in the Med Lab were alerted by Charles that the team had just arrived in the hanger. Two hours in which Spencer dealt with increasingly stronger contractions. They were fifteen minutes apart by the time the Blackbird made its landing. Everyone that had stayed behind at the mansion was gathered already inside of the Med Lab. Charles sat, overseeing the group. Betsy and Warren were seated in chairs beside the man. Ororo was up with Spencer, pacing beside him, helping him breathe through the contractions when they hit. With each contraction, they grew stronger and stronger.

It was no surprise that Remy was the first to burst into the room. He came in just as Spencer was starting to breathe through yet another contraction. The young genius curled his hands over his stomach and focused on his breathing, yet he felt the warmth of Remy’s emotions wash over him, drawing him in and cushioning him against some of the pain. Then familiar hands were on him and Spencer leaned into them without even having to open his eyes. He knew who that was holding him now. Spencer didn’t hesitate to shift one hand and grab on to Remy’s, squeezing tightly. The contraction peaked and for a single second Spencer couldn’t control his own powers. An electrical surge ran through the house, making the lights brighten and flash before settling back down to normal.

No sooner had the contraction finished than Spencer was turning to glare at his partner. “You’re late.”

The snarled words didn’t bother Remy in the least. He kept his hold on Spencer's hand and used his other to rub at his lover’s lower back. “Y’ aint had em yet, so technically, I aint late.”

“You’re going to try and trip me up on a technicality _now_?” The idea of it had Spencer's glare deepening. How could Remy stand there and try to joke with him now, of all times? Didn’t he realize just how _terrified_ Spencer had been here without his partner? Sure, he’d had friends. He’d had the woman who acted like a sister. But none of them had been the person he’d wanted. More than anything else he had wanted Remy with him.

Everything about Remy went soft. He pulled Spencer in close, stroking a hand over his cheek and smoothing his hair back from his face. There was so much love on his face and in the link that it took Spencer's temper and fear and pushed them back. “ _Je suis désolé_ I wasn’t here, _mon cœur._ I’m here now, though. I aint going nowhere. I’m gonna stay right here wit’ y’ and we’re gonna finally get to meet our boys.”

Behind them, Spencer heard someone clearing out the room, evicting the people that were there to watch. For now he and Remy were left to stand together while the rest of the room was abuzz with preparations. They only had a short moment to themselves before the night’s event would truly start. Spencer took advantage of it. He nuzzled his face against Remy’s hand. “I’m scared, Rem.” He whispered the words softly. “Are we really ready for this? I mean, I just…I’m scared.”

“ _Je sais_. _Moi aussi,_ Spencer. _Mais_ we can do dis. We’ll fumble our way through dis together. We aint really got a choice, anyways.” He chuckled and reached down to stroke a hand over Spencer's hard stomach. “Aint like we can tell dem dey gotta stay in dere until we’re ready.”

The idea of that was enough to make Spencer chuckle. He tipped his head up in silent plea and was rewarded with a loving kiss. “I love you, Remy LeBeau.”

“ _Je t’aime aussi,_ Spencer Reid.”

Hank’s voice interrupted their moment, drawing their attention away from one another. “We’re ready when you are, Spencer.”

Shifting, the two men stood side by side, hands held together. Spencer gave Remy one last look. “Let’s go meet our sons.”

CXCX

January 20th, at 1:53 am, the Med Lab was filled with the sounds of new life. Spencer Reid lay stretched out on the hospital bed, his partner standing by his head, while Hank stood on one side of his stomach and Jean assisted on the other side. A draped blanket kept Spencer from seeing what was going on below, but he was able to watch his partner’s face as Remy watched over the top of the blanket. Off to the sidelines, Ororo stood waiting with two hospital bassinettes, ready to take the precious bundles as they were handed over. Spencer knew he would never forget the sound of that first cry as it filled the air, or the way that Remy’s whole face lit up. He’d never forget as another cry joined the first, or how Remy looked down at him, smiling so brightly through his tears, and said the only thing he could manage to say. “ _Je t’aime,_ Spencer. _Je t’aime_.”

It all seemed like some kind of dream to Spencer. So surreal. Then Remy was stepping away to cut the cords and then suddenly he came back around the drape and Spencer saw the bundle he carried and the bundle that Ororo carried as well. With his arms stretched out on either side of him, held down by tubes and such, Spencer couldn’t reach out to them, but he turned his head towards them and got his first view of their boys. Spencer barely noticed the tears that flowed from his own eyes. Emotion clogged his throat and took away his words. He could say nothing. His smile said it all. Love filled his eyes as he looked at his partner and his sons and love filled him in ways he had never known were possible.

CXCX

Quickly and efficiently Hank finished caring for Spencer, and in no time the young genius was in his recovery bed in a fresh gown, waiting anxiously as his boys were brought over to him. Weakened from the ordeal and the medicine in his system, Spencer could only hold one, so Remy sat down right beside him in the bed, cradling their other son. All Spencer could seem to do was look down in amazement at the small life in his arms. He counted fingers and toes and marveled over the soft, smooth skin, as pale as his own. Brown curls covered each little head. But what Spencer loved most of all, what he had secretly hoped for and was so happy to see, was the small, wide red on black eyes that blinked up at him. Both boys had Remy’s eyes.

Hank had sectioned off a corner of his lab for them to grant them privacy. He peeked around the corner of it now, smiling broadly at the couple. “Are you ready for visitors?”

“Go ahead, Hank.” Spencer smiled up at him. He wanted to share his joy with those that had become family.

When Hank drew the curtain back, it looked as if the whole mansion were there waiting, all of the smiling. Their smiles were nothing compared to the ones that Spencer and Remy wore. As proud as any Papa in history, Remy shifted the bundle in his arms. “Everyone, I’d like y’ to meet our sons. Dis is Philip Henri.”

“And this is Andre Foret.” Spencer finished. He looked down at little Andre and his heart warmed even more. “Boys, meet your family.”

As they’d planned, Remy took the next part, looking through the crowd to the person that he wanted. He and Spencer had talked about this and discussed for quite a while what they wanted to do. Their decision was one they were both happy and comfortable with. “Scotty?”

Scott stepped through the group and right up to the bed. When he got close, Remy shifted the bundle he held, holding it out to the man. Instinctively Scott’s arms came out to take Philip. He held him carefully, cradling the little boy in the crook of his arm. As soon as he was settled, Remy reached out, stroking one little curl back. “Spencer and I talked about dis quite a bit and we’d both like, if’n y’ agree, f’ y’ to be de _parrain_ f’ de boys. De godfather. Ro’s already agreed to be deir godmother.”

Surprise transformed Scott’s face and Spencer felt his shock. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” Spencer answered. He chuckled at the incredulous look Scott gave them. “You’re a perfect choice, Scott. And we know that, if anything ever happened to us, you and Ororo would make sure our boys grew up safe and healthy. They’d grow up surrounded by people who loved them and who would protect them.”

“Wow. I just, I thought…” The words trailed off, but the way Scott tipped his head towards Logan spoke volumes. Everyone knew that Logan was Remy’s best friend and that he was very protective of Spencer as well. Seeing that gesture, Logan was the one to answer that unspoken question. “The brats and I already talked, Scooter. Spencer said that since I act like an overprotective parent towards them, I might as well take the title of grandpa.” He grumbled when he said it, but there was a light on his face that showed just how pleased he was by that.

Amidst the laughter in the room, Scott looked up from Philip and he smiled brightly at the two men on the bed. “I’d be honored.”

That seemed to be the cue for everyone else to come close. Spencer found his bed surrounded by people and Andre was passed off to the first pair of arms there, Jubilee’s. Everyone was talking and laughing and the love in the room was enough to leave Spencer feeling almost like he was high. He felt Remy’s arm slide around his shoulders and he leaned in against his partner’s side. In that moment, Spencer knew he had finally found something that he hadn’t even known he’d been searching for. Here was family. Here, he was home.


End file.
